Sam Franklin Jr.
Introduction
Sam Franklin Jr. is a 30-year-old Buffalo Bills safety whom the NFL suspended for one game without pay on October 21, 2026 for an act of unsportsmanlike conduct: the league says he spat at a Las Vegas Raiders opponent late in Buffalo’s 33-30 Week 6 win, making him the second Bills player suspended for spitting in that same game. Franklin denies spitting at anyone, says he was defending himself after being struck below the waist, and has appealed the suspension, with a hearing scheduled for the following day.
Background Information
Samuel Lamar Franklin Jr. was born February 2, 1996, in Inverness, Florida, played college football at Temple, and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in 2020, spending five seasons with the team before stops in Denver and Buffalo. He is a special teams ace for the Bills, where he serves as a defensive back behind a 5-1 start. The discipline put him in the same league docket as his own teammate: starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was suspended one game for spitting at Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in the first half of the same October 18 game.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Allegations. The spitting claim in this section is the NFL’s own determination, announced without video evidence. It was never admitted by Franklin, never criminally charged, and never adjudicated in court. Franklin denies it outright, says he was defending himself after being struck below the waist, and is appealing the suspension.
With 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ Week 6 win over the Raiders, just after a successful Las Vegas extra point, the NFL says Franklin spat at Raiders right tackle DJ Glaze. “Franklin Jr. spit at an opponent, violating Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to ‘any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,’” the league’s statement read. Unlike his teammate’s ejection, Franklin was not penalized at all on the field.
The league disciplined him “without providing details or video evidence,” per the Associated Press. The video that does exist cuts the other way: a clip posted by an NFL Network reporter shows Glaze blocking Bills linebacker Michael Hoecht while pulling Franklin’s undershirt, Franklin shoving Glaze from the side, and Glaze then appearing to shove Franklin’s helmet. A 14-second clip Franklin himself posted shows Glaze appearing to strike him below the waist during the extra point — the play the suspension followed. “It’s not clear whether Franklin spit at anyone,” the AP wrote of the footage. His agent said Franklin was also struck in a similar fashion during a Raiders field-goal attempt earlier in the game.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The suspension was announced while the Bills were on their bye week, and the Post’s tweet carrying it — “Sam Franklin Jr. becomes second Bills player suspended for spitting in same game” — spread the story within minutes. Franklin’s agents, Harold C. Lewis and Christian Addison, answered the same day: “We adamantly deny Sam spit at anyone. We look forward to the process fully exonerating him tomorrow at the hearing and the apology he deserves,” they told NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Franklin also denied the allegation on Instagram, writing that he is “not a dirty player” and that he was defending himself without resorting to spitting.
The contrast with his teammate framed the coverage: Gardner-Johnson was ejected on the spot, apologized to teammates, and told reporters “I’ll take my consequences,” while Franklin remained in the game untouched until the league’s midweek ruling. Bills coach Joe Brady, who earlier in the week said the team would not punish Gardner-Johnson beyond the league’s discipline, was not made available for comment on Franklin’s case with the team off.
Current Status
Franklin appealed within hours of the announcement, and the hearing was scheduled for Thursday, October 22, tentatively before former player James Thrash, one of four officers jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA for on-field discipline appeals; the timing of a ruling is unclear. As issued, the suspension begins Monday, October 26 and runs through the Bills’ November 1 home game against the Baltimore Ravens, with Franklin eligible to return to the active roster on November 2. An appeal outcome had not been reported by the morning after the suspension.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The ban, if it stands, costs Franklin a game check and his spot for a marquee AFC home game against the Ravens that could shape Buffalo’s playoff seeding. It also doubles the optics problem for a 5-1 team now carrying the league’s only two spitting suspensions of the season, both from the same afternoon. For Franklin personally, the stakes are reputational as much as financial: a special-teams role built on discipline now carries a sportsmanship finding he calls false, and his “not a dirty player” defense gets its test at the Thursday hearing — where exoneration would erase the ban, and a ruling against him would write the finding into the league record.
Sources
- New York Post: “Sam Franklin Jr. becomes second Bills player suspended for spitting” source
- NFL.com: “Bills’ Franklin suspended one game” source
- AP News: “Bills’ Franklin appeals NFL’s 1-game suspension, denies he spit at Raiders player” source
- Wikipedia: “Sam Franklin Jr.” source
- @nypost on X — the tweet that carried the story, X source