C.J. Gardner-Johnson got tossed from Sunday’s game against the Raiders, and believe it or not, it was for spitting on an opponent. Seriously, we’re talking about a player getting ejected for something as absolutely wild as spitting, and it all went down late in the first half.
The Umpire’s Eyewitness Account
After the game, referee Shawn Smith didn’t hold back when explaining the decision to pool reporter Case Keefer. Smith confirmed it straight up: “We had two players jawing back and forth and then our umpire witnessed him spitting on the opponent.” That umpire, Tra Blake, was apparently right there in the thick of it, saw the whole thing go down. Smith was clear that there’s no room for debate on this kind of behavior. “He saw him spit on the opponent,” Smith emphasized, leaving no doubt about Blake’s account. “So, we don’t go into the judgment of where he is spitting and this, that, or the other. He spit on an opponent.” You gotta respect the ref’s stance here, some things are just not okay on the field.
Where Did the Spit Land?
The video evidence of the incident seems to show Gardner-Johnson aiming his spit in the general direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. It looks like the spit might have either clipped Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum’s hand or even Bowers’s leg. Either way, Blake, the umpire, had a front-row seat to the whole messy exchange. This kind of trash talk gone too far isn’t exactly new, either. It’s giving off strong vibes of that Week 1, 2025 incident where Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott spit on the ground, and then Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter spit on Prescott in response. It’s just not the kind of competitive fire we want to see out there.
This type of unsportsmanlike conduct is always a bad look, plain and simple. What was he thinking?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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