The Buffalo Bills already weren't thrilled that starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson got suspended for a game after spitting at Brock Bowers during the Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. They were hoping that was the last of the suspensions from the NFL.
However, that is not the case. The league announced that safety Sam Franklin Jr. has also been suspended for a game. The NFL explained what they saw.
“With 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter following Las Vegas’ successful extra point attempt, Franklin Jr. spit at an opponent, violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to ‘any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,'” the NFL wrote in a statement.
Video shows Franklin getting into it with Raiders offensive lineman D.J. Glaze, but the officials didn't call a penalty, nor did they eject him from the game. Franklin is a special teams player, so losing him isn't as impactful as losing Gardner-Johnson, but he is a team captain. The Bills would certainly prefer to have him. According to ESPN, Franklin is appealing the suspension, but it's hard to imagine they'd make this move without some solid evidence.
Does Joe Brady need to crack down?
The Joe Brady tenure has been off to a good start. The Bills are 5-1 and have one of the best offenses in the NFL. He's the offensive playcaller, so he deserves a lot of credit for the strong start.
That said, he's a very different coach than Sean McDermott. He was more of a disciplinarian. Brady is still a very young coach. This could be his first big test as a head coach.
It's very rare when two players get suspended for spitting at an opponent in two separate instances in one game. In fact, it's difficult to find an example of it ever happening in NFL history. Now, if Franklin wins his appeal, then this becomes less of an issue, but if the suspension holds, Brady needs to figure out how to drive the message home that spitting at an opponent isn't going to be tolerated.
The Bills could be down two key players in a pivotal matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, which is far from ideal.
Add us as a preferred source on Google