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Sam Franklin beats spit suspension; Bills still short a safety
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- Sam Franklin beats spit suspension; Bills still short a safety
Buffalo Bills' special teams captain Sam Franklin Jr. won his appeal, and the NFL reduced his one-game suspension to a $14,926 fine, the AP reported . That means he's eligible when the Bills host Baltimore on Nov. 1.
The NFL had accused him of spitting at Raiders tackle Delmar Glaze after an extra point in Buffalo's 33-30 win in Las Vegas. NFL.com reports the fine is less than a fifth of the roughly $75,294 he would have forfeited had the suspension stood. Franklin said he was "not a dirty player" and was defending himself.
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His agents said in a statement they hope the league also reviews the Raiders player's conduct, after video appeared to show him being struck, per Yahoo Sports .
The Bills are still missing C.J. Gardner-Johnson against Baltimore
Teammate Gardner-Johnson lost his appeal Thursday, so his one-game ban stands. He was ejected for spitting toward Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Newsweek reported . Coach Joe Brady called the act inexcusable, per Bleacher Report .
Keeping Franklin matters. TSN noted he has been on the field for more than three quarters of Buffalo's special teams snaps. Losing both players in the same week would have thinned the safety room and the coverage units at once.
Buffalo Bills' special teams captain Sam Franklin Jr. won his appeal, and the NFL reduced his one-game suspension to a $14,926 fineKevin Sabitus / Getty Images
It's easy to assume the league's new three-strike system is now hanging over him, but the rule doesn't cover this kind of penalty. It applies to five specific safety violations: hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks, per Yahoo Sports .
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A player who commits three violations of the same category gets a one-game suspension, NBC Sports reports .
Franklin's penalty was for unsportsmanlike conduct, which falls outside those categories. Some coverage, including a Sports Illustrated piece syndicated on Yahoo , noted this is his second fine of the season. A second fine still means real money, and officials will be watching him closely after a week like this.
Buffalo's trade-deadline thinking now has one fewer safety problem
The Bills are 5-1 and off this weekend. With the deadline set for Nov. 10, local roundups are already kicking around safety targets, and Buffalo Rumblings links several such pieces. Franklin staying available doesn't solve the Gardner-Johnson gap for Week 8, but it eases the urgency.
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Gardner-Johnson returns after Nov. 2. Buffalo then travels to Minnesota on Nov. 9, per ClutchPoints . That means one game with a thinner secondary, then a return to full strength.
The bigger lesson is discipline. Two spitting-related cases in one week, plus a fine, turned a clean 5-1 start into a distraction. Buffalo can fix that quickly, but only by keeping emotions in check against Baltimore.
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This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
