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Saints' C.J. Gardner-Johnson Denies Spitting on Bears' Javon Wims Before Fight
November 2, 2020
New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson denied he spit on Javon Wims Sunday, causing the Chicago Bears receiver to retaliate with a punch.
"It ain't got nothing to do with me. If he's acting out, that's on him," Gardner-Johnson said Monday, per Mike Triplett of ESPN. "It wasn't no incident. We won the game. I mean, everybody, it's a lot of he said-he said. Ain't nothing happened. Nobody got spit on."
Wims approached Gardner-Johnson after a third-quarter play in Sunday's game and punched him in the head.
The wideout was ejected but told team officials that Gardner-Johnson had spit on him and pulled out his mouthpiece earlier in the game, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
There was video of Garnder-Johnson pulling out Wims' mouthpiece on a previous possession, but the Saints player said Monday he was "innocent."
The Bears were penalized 15 yards on the play and the Saints followed it up with an interception on the next play. New Orleans eventually pulled out a 26-23 overtime win.
Saints head coach Sean Payton was proud of his players for quickly moving past the incident.
"We just had to be smart and not allow that to dictate or have a part in the conclusion of the game, in who wins or loses," Payton said after the game. "That just takes discipline. ... Fortunately it didn’t impact any of our players."
Gardner-Johnson has earned the reputation of an agitator in his two-year career, even having an altercation with teammate Michael Thomas in a practice earlier this season.
However, he takes no blame in the latest incident with Wims.