Bills' Franklin wins appeal; suspension for spitting reduced to fine

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  Nick SussOct 23, 2026, 12:33 PM ET

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills safety and special teams captain Sam Franklin Jr., has won his appeal to overturn the one-game suspension the NFL tagged him with for supposedly spitting at an opponent in the Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Franklin's suspension has been reduced to a fine of $14,926 per an NFL announcement.

The NFL announced on Wednesday that it would suspend Franklin without pay for one game because of a spitting incident said to have occurred on a fourth quarter extra point try. Franklin denied the allegation and moved quickly to appeal, saying in a social media post that he'll always do what it takes to defend himself but that he'd never spit at an opponent.

The suspension came in the wake of a second Bills defender, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, being suspended for a high-profile spitting incident in the same game. Gardner-Johnson was disqualified from the game just before halftime after a referee witnessed Gardner-Johnson spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

Unlike Gardner-Johnson, Franklin was not penalized or ejected in-game and no replays of the extra point in question available to the public can clearly show Franklin spitting.

Franklin's in his second year with the Bills and his seventh NFL season. He's logged six tackles in 2026, all on special teams. This included three tackles against the Raiders, matching his best mark since signing with the Bills.

Gardner-Johnson's suspension was upheld upon appeal.

The Bills are on bye this week. They'll return to action for a Week 8 game against Baltimore on Nov. 1 (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Gardner-Johnson will be eligible to return on Nov. 9 for "Monday Night Football" against the Minnesota Vikings (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).