Buffalo Bills Players Suspended for Spitting Incidents
NFL suspends two Buffalo Bills players for spitting at opponents during game.
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The NFL has suspended two Buffalo Bills defenders for spitting at opponents during a game, marking the second incident involving players from the same team this season. The league banned special teams captain Sam Franklin Jr. for one game without pay, making him the second Buffalo player punished for spitting during the Week 6 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN.
The NFL determined that Franklin spat at a Raiders player after the Raiders converted an extra point with 1:32 to play, though it released no video evidence, according to the Associated Press (AP). His agent, Harold Lewis, disputed the finding. “We adamantly deny Sam spit on anyone,” Lewis told the AP.
Franklin challenged the decision within hours, with a hearing set for Thursday, according to the AP. He also posted a slowed-down clip of the point-after to Instagram under the hashtag “#notthemcnuggets,” writing that he would always defend himself, ESPN reported. “Still won’t spit on anyone,” Franklin wrote.
Here is the NFL’s announcement on the one game suspension of Bills DB Sam Franklin Jr. https://t.co/XbwEyt1z3u
The league grounded both bans in its sportsmanship rule, with each costing the player a game and a paycheck, according to ESPN. Both defenders will miss Buffalo’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 1, WIVB reported.
Gardner-Johnson took a different route after the league suspended him Monday, the AP reported. Referees had tossed the safety near the end of the first half for spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and center Tyler Linderbaum, according to Field Level Media. He apologized to his teammates and accepted the punishment.
Coach Joe Brady called that act “inexcusable” and said he spoke with the player privately, according to the AP.
Source: Daily Caller
