NFL rescinds Buffalo Bills defender's one-game spitting suspension

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NFL rescinds Buffalo Bills defender's one-game spitting suspension

NFL rescinds Buffalo Bills defender's one-game spitting suspension

Jack McKessy, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Fri, Oct 23, 2026 ·

2 min read

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The Buffalo Bills ' secondary won't be as depleted in Week 8 as they might have expected.

Sam Franklin Jr.'s suspension for allegedly spitting at an opponent during the Bills ' Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders has been overturned following his appeal. Matt Signora, the NFL's senior vice president of football and international communications, announced on Friday, Oct. 23 that a hearing officer had reduced Franklin's punishment from a suspension to a fine.

"Hearing officer James Thrash, jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA, has reduced the discipline of Sam Franklin from a one-game suspension to a fine of $14,926 for unsportsmanlike conduct," Signora wrote on social media site X.

C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON: Suspended Bills player apologizes after ejection for spitting on Raiders star

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Nielsen ranks most passionate NFL fan bases, from worst to first

When it comes to fan avidity , Bills Mafia reigns supreme. On the other hand, fans of the New York Jets and New York Giants have some work to do. According to the inaugural "Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index" from media audience research firm Nielsen, the Buffalo Bills have the best fandom in the league. Bills fans scored 208 on the new index, which takes into account eight key metrics, Nielsen announced in a press release. The key metrics, all from Nielsen's own data are apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social media following, TV viewership, radio listening, betting intent, and overall interest level. The firm noted that fanbases in Philadelphia and Cincinnati both ranked in the top five across several categories, which pushed Eagles and Bengals fans near the top of the index despite "neither lead[ing] a single metric outright."
New York 30

(Leslie Barbaro, NorthJersey.com via USA TODAY Network)

**Los Angeles 29**

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**Miami/Ft. Lauderdale 28**

(Nathan Ray Seebeck, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

**San Francisco/ Oakland / San Jose 27**

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**Tampa/ St. Petersburg 26**

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**Phoenix 25**

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**Atlanta 24**

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**Las Vegas 23**

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**Washington, DC 21 (tie)**

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**Boston 21 (tie)**

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**Chicago 20**

(Quinn Harris, Getty Images)

**Dallas/ Ft. Worth 19**

(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)

**Houston 18**

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**Indianapolis 17**

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**Charlotte 16**

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**Nashville 15**

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**Seattle/ Tacoma 14**

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**Jacksonville 13**

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**Denver 12**

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**Minneapolis/ St. Paul 11**

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**Cleveland/ Akron 10**

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**New Orleans 8 (tie)**

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**Detroit 8 (tie)**

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**Baltimore 7**

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**Pittsburgh 6**

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**Philadelphia 5**

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**Cincinnati 4**

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**Green Bay/ Appleton 3**

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**Kansas City 2**

(Denny Medley, Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

**Buffalo 1**

(Gregory Fisher, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Prior to his overturned suspension, Franklin was set to be the second Bills player suspended for spitting at an opponent during Buffalo's Week 6 game. Teammate and fellow defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from the matchup and suspended for the Bills' next game in Week 8 after spitting at Raiders tight end Brock Bowers . Gardner-Johnson has since apologized .

According to the NFL's initial version of events, Franklin spit at an opponent after Las Vegas kicked an extra point with 1 minute and 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter. As a violation of the NFL's official rules, the defensive back was set to be suspended from Monday, Oct. 26 to Monday, Nov. 2 – the week leading up to and including the Bills' next game after their Week 7 bye.

After his appeal and a further review of the incident, Franklin will pay a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct instead of serving his suspension. Conversely, Gardner-Johnson remains suspended for Week 8.

Franklin, who signed a three-year, $7.5 million extension in February, is a special teams captain for Buffalo. He has appeared in all six games this season, exclusively on special teams. Prior to joining the Bills last year, he spent the first five years of his career with the Carolina Panthers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL rescinds Buffalo Bills defender's one-game spitting suspension

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