Javon Wims Suspended 2 Games for Fighting CJ Gardner-Johnson in Saints vs. Bears

The NFL suspended Chicago Bears wide receiver Javon Wims two games after he punched New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson during Sunday's game, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.  

Wims is appealing, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, with the NFL scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday.

Wims was ejected from the game in an ugly incident in which the Bears wideout came up from behind Gardner-Johnson after a play, grabbed at his neck and then punched him twice in the helmet before Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins came over to break up the melee. 

Earlier Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Wims told the team Gardner-Johnson spit on him prior to the fight, something the Saints safety denied to Mike Triplett of ESPN.

"I was looking down when I heard about it," Bears coach Matt Nagy told reporters. "But what I did hear is what it looked like, which is completely unacceptable. We've talked to him and told him that that's not how things go here. One of Javon's strengths is his character, who he is as a person. He's since apologized, but that's not ... you don't have that. There's no part of that in this game. Again, I still haven't seen it, but from what I've heard, it's not good. That's not how we roll here."

Former NFL receiver Torry Smith speculated that the issue between Wims and Gardner-Johnson was "personal." Several other players commented on social media, saying it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before on a football field. 

"That man punch like a female...ain't no man punch on me. Bra cheap shot like a fee," Gardner-Johnson said in Instagram posts. 

The 2018 seventh-round pick has been a fixture on special teams for the Bears this season while also recording five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.

His decision to essentially sucker-punch Gardner-Johnson was perhaps the most ill-advised play of the 2020 season. It's no surprise that the NFL came down hard on that type of behavior, and it wouldn't be a surprise if it puts Wims' roster spot in jeopardy moving forward.