With only a few seconds left in the second quarter of Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-Las Vegas Raiders game, officials took an unusually long time to sort out a penalty.
It was initially unclear what had happened, but officials soon announced an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Bills safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson, and he was ejected from the game.
As the NFL on CBS broadcast dug into what happened, announcer Jim Nantz mused that it’s not surprising he’s been called for something like this, and partner J.J. Watt speculated it might be because of spitting. Watt was soon proven correct as replays showed the Bills defender spitting towards Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum and tight end Brock Bowers.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson spits in the direction of Brock Bowers, leading to disqualification https://t.co/8zW4OYIP7o
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) October 18, 2026
“J.J., your speculation was correct,” said Nantz over the footage. “This is about as disrespectful as it gets.”
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore then chimed in.
“Just something that we do not want to in the game,” he said. “The ejection defintely warranted, and after talking to New York, they will look at it to see if there is anything further.”
During CBS’s halftime show, Gardner-Johnson got it even harsher, with several studio analysts calling him out for his juvenile, disrespectful behavior.
“What are you doing???” – @nateburleson
“That’s selfish” – @CowherCBS
The crew reacts to C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting kicked out of the game for spitting https://t.co/7JZ6QxU8fo
— NFL on CBS
(@NFLonCBS) October 18, 2026
“What are you doing?” asked Nate Burleson.
“That’s selfish,” added Bill Cowher. “Selfish.”
“Look, I get it. Scuffles happen. Jaw-jacking happens,” continued Burleson. “But you can’t do this. One, it’s childish. It’s immature. And it’s unprofessional. You’re supposed to be one of the veterans on the team, and you get kicked out of the game for spitting?”
Cowher added that emotional control is the kind of thing that makes a difference in games like this.
The Bills should still be able to handle the Raiders, with or without Gardner-Johnson, but expect this incident to keep getting discussed and potentially result in further punishment.
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