Bears receiver Javon Wims was suspended two games without pay Monday after punching Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson twice in the head on Sunday.
He can appeal the suspension within three business days. The appeal would be heard by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, who are appointed and paid by both the NFL and NFLPA. Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, cited Rule 12, Section 2, Article 14(c), which prohibits swinging at the face of an opponent, as well as Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which penalizes unsportsmanlike conduct.
Wims threw two right-handed punches at Gardner-Johnson in the third quarter. In between, the safety kept his hands to his side, careful not to be seen as retaliating. Wims was immediately ejected.
The bad blood began two minutes into the second half, when Gardner-Johnson ripped off Wims’ orange mouthpiece, which was attached to his facemask and dangling toward the ground, and threw it down.
A source said Gardner-Johnson spat at Wims and that the receiver, who has had coronavirus issues with his family, was outraged. Gardner-Johnson told Saints reporters Monday that he didn’t spit on Wims.
On Instagram on Sunday night, Gardner-Johnson wrote that the swings were a “cheap shot” and that Wims “PUNCH LIKE A FEMALE.”
Bears coach Matt Nagy talked to Wims on Monday.
“Regardless of what went on, he knows and understands,” Nagy said. “He was apologetic and knows that, no matter what, you can’t do what he did.”
Neither player is a stranger to fights. Gardner-Johnson was hit by the Saints’ own star player, Michael Thomas, in practice last month. Thomas was suspended one game. During training camp in 2019, Wims fought with Prince Amukamara. The veteran cornerback didn’t swing back, and said he learned while in college how dangerous it was to hit a helmet with one’s bare hands.
