The Buffalo Bills bounced back from their Week 4 loss to the New England Patriots with consecutive wins, the latest coming against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. However, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson didn’t get to finish the game on the field after being ejected.
Gardner-Johnson was disciplined following a spitting incident involving Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. He later expressed regret for his actions, but not everyone was ready to move on.
Fans React to C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s Apology After Raiders Incident
Instant replay appeared to show Gardner-Johnson spitting toward Bowers and other Raiders players after the two exchanged words following a play. Officials flagged Gardner-Johnson for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected him from the game.
Bills head coach Joe Brady strongly criticized Gardner-Johnson’s actions, and the safety later addressed the incident at his locker by apologizing to his teammates and said he let his emotions get the best of him, though he did not explicitly acknowledge spitting on an opponent.
“I gotta be a better player. I gotta be a better vet,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters. “I let my emotions get above me, and I hurt my team. They brought me here to play in big games like this, so I gotta do better. Just control my emotions. Nothing crazy.”
Some fans backed Gardner-Johnson for owning his mistake, arguing that the incident could serve as a learning experience.
“Keeping emotions together is tough. How you respond will reveal your character. You will grow from this and do the right thing,” one X user wrote.
“I wonder if counseling could help here,” another said.
“Glad to see he’s owned it. (Expletive) I like this response,” a third fan remarked.
Although footage appeared to show Gardner-Johnson spitting toward Raiders players, he did not explicitly acknowledge that specific action in his apology. As a result, some fans questioned whether he had fully taken responsibility for the incident.
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“Leave him in Vegas,” a Bills fan wrote.
“Looked better without him anyway. ‘He ain’t do nothing to me’… Right, which makes you spitting at him even more shameful. Cut him,” one X user wrote
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“He needs to apologize to Browers as well,” another added.
“Glad he apologized, and he needs to be sorry, but we are releasing you,” one Bills fan quipped.
The incident also raised concerns about Gardner-Johnson’s recent disciplinary troubles, as Sunday marked the second consecutive week in which he received a 15-yard penalty.
Gardner-Johnson had started all five of Buffalo’s games entering Sunday. He currently ranks No. 20 in the league with a PFN Safety Impact Score of 80.1.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.