Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from his team's Week 6 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders after spitting in the direction of opposing tight end Brock Bowers.

There is little precedent for spitting-related suspensions from incidents like Gardner-Johnson's offense. However, his former Philadelphia Eagles teammate, Jalen Carter, was the most recent player involved in a similar altercation.

The Philadelphia defensive tackle spat in the direction of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's face immediately before Dallas's first drive in Week 1 of the NFL season. Carter was immediately ejected and awarded a one-game suspension postgame, but that punishment came with a caveat.

Since Carter had yet to log a single snap, the NFL determined the Eagles player had already served his suspension by not playing in Week 1. He suited up for Philadelphia a week later.

"Because Carter was disqualified before participating in a single play, the suspension is considered to have been served in Week 1, and he will forfeit his game check," the league said in a statement.

"The NFL Players Association has informed the NFL that Carter will not contest the discipline and has waived his right to appeal."

Carter did forfeit his $57,722 game check as part of the punishment."It was a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won't happen again," he told reporters postgame. " I feel bad for just my teammates and the fans out there."

Other players have spat on opponents during NFL games. Terrell Owens was fined $25,000 for expectorating on DeAngelo Hall in 2006. Marcus Peters was handed a $12,500 fine for his 2020 spit at Jarvis Landry.

With Buffalo up 13-10 just ahead of the halftime interval, Gardner-Johnson came face to face with Bowers following a Kirk Cousins interception.

As Raiders offensive linemen Tyler Linderbaum and Spencer Burford circled, the Bills safety hurled some spit towards Bowers. The Las Vegas players immediately looked toward a nearby referee for a flag.

Gardner-Johnson was hit with both a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and an ejection. "Not that anyone is surprised when he gets called for something like this," CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz said of the incident.

CBS host Nate Burleson was bothered by Gardner-Johnson's decision. "What are you doing? I get it, scuffles happen. But you can’t do this," he said.

"It’s childish, it’s immature, and it’s unprofessional. You’re supposed to be one of the veterans on the team, and you get kicked out the game for spitting?"