The Buffalo Bills aren’t playing this weekend, but they got a win.
A win on an appeal of a suspension.
The day after C.J. Garnder-Johnson’s one-game suspension from a spitting incident against the Raiders was upheld by the league, Sam Franklin Jr.‘s suspension has been overturned on appeal:
Per @NFLfootballinfo: Hearing officer James Thrash, jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA, has reduced the discipline of Bills S Sam Franklin from a one-game suspension to a fine of $14,926 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2026
Without clear visual evidence of the alleged spitting incident, Franklin Jr. was much more likely to get his suspension overturned on appeal than Gardner-Johnson, and now it’s happened.
Franklin Jr.’s agents had a strong statement in the aftermath of their client winning his appeal:
Statement from Bills DB Sam Franklin Jr.’s agents, Harold C. Lewis and Christian Addison, after appeals officer James Thrash reduced Franklin’s one-game suspension to a $14,926 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 23, 2026
“As we said from the start, Sam did not and would never spit at an…
So the Bills are 1 for 2 on suspension appeals this season.
And Franklin Jr., the club’s special teams ace and deep-depth safety, will be available for Buffalo’s Week 8 game at home against the Ravens on November 1.