Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from Sunday's game at the Las Vegas Raiders after he spit at Raiders players, according to Yahoo Sports. The Yahoo report says an official saw the incident on the field and ejected him immediately. Yahoo's headline names Brock Bowers as the Raiders tight end he spit at. Its second piece says Gardner-Johnson spit on Bowers. SB Nation and Sportsnet describe the call as unsportsmanlike conduct.

ESPN is more cautious about what happened. It said the ejection followed an altercation in the final minute of the first half and that Gardner-Johnson "appeared to spit in the Raiders' direction." ESPN also gave the score when it happened: Buffalo led 13-10. The ESPN feed lists him as a cornerback in its headline and a safety in its text. We have only the headlines and summaries, so we can't say what set off the altercation or whether the officials said anything further.

SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell, whose headline calls the incident "absolutely disgusting," ties it to a pattern. He writes that Gardner-Johnson has been fined many times in his NFL career for dirty hits and chippy play, and that he was ejected from a game in 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. That history comes from that one outlet.

He was not a bystander in this game before he left. Our box score gives him one tackle, a solo, and no sacks, passes defended or tackles for loss. He has 26 total tackles and no sacks this season. The game is still live. Las Vegas has made up the deficit and it is tied 23-23 with 8:07 left in the fourth quarter. The Bills have taken seven penalties for 55 yards, against five for 37 for the Raiders. Our data doesn't say which of them was the ejection, or whether it counted as a penalty at all.

The result matters to both clubs. Buffalo is 4-1 and first in the AFC East, with its last win a 37-34 game at the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 12 and a 29-26 loss to New England before that. Las Vegas is 3-2, third in the AFC West, and has lost two straight, including a 45-17 loss at New England on Oct. 11.

The next thing to watch is whether the league adds discipline on top of the ejection. None of the six reports mentions a fine or suspension. Buffalo plays Baltimore on Sunday, Nov. 1, and Las Vegas hosts the Rams on Oct. 25.