Referee Shawn Smith: Umpire Tra Blake witnessed C.J. Gardner-Johnson spitting on an opponent

Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected late in the first half of Sunday's game against the Raiders. It appeared that Gardner-Johnson was ejected for spitting.After the game, referee Shawn Smith explained the decision to pool reporter Case Keefer."We had two players jawing back and forth and then our umpire witnessed him spitting on the opponent," Smith said.The umpire on Smith's crew is Tra Blake. The video seems to show Gardner-Johnson spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, with the spit either striking Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum's hand or Bowers's leg.Either way, Blake was right there to see it."He saw him spit on the opponent," Smith said, regarding Blake's account of the situation. "So, we don't go into the judgment of where he is spitting and this, that, or the other. He spit on an opponent."The situation looked a lot like the incident between Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter from Week 1 of the 2025 season. After Prescott spit on the ground before the first play from scrimmage, Carter spit on Prescott.