New Orleans Saints cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson fired insults via his Instagram account at Chicago Bears wide receiver Javon Wims after the two got into a fistfight during the matchup on Sunday night, according to a report from TMZ .
“That man punch like a female,” CJ stated on social media.
In the third quarter of the game, Wims ran up to the Saints defender in between plays and socked him twice in the head. A referee nearby immediately threw a flag, but that did not stop multiple members from each squad rushing toward the altercation in an attempt to separate them from each other. The video of the fight can be seen Twitter .
The 26-year-old ended up being ejected from the competition and is expected to receive a suspension as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network stated the Bears may have to release him based on the league’s punishment.
Tensions initially rose in previous plays when Gardner-Johnson ripped Wims’ mouthpiece out and then poked the face of another Chicago receiver, Anthony Miller, as reported by ESPN . Some members of the Bears even insisted that the cornerback spit on the Georgia alum earlier in the game, although he completely denied the accusation.
“It ain’t got nothing to do with me. If he’s acting out, that’s on him,” the second year pro remarked in an interview after the game. “It’s a lot of he said-he said. Ain’t nothing happened. Nobody got spit on.”
New Orleans was able to chip away in overtime to secure a 26-23 victory over their opponent despite the distraction in the third quarter. The game ended after kicker Wil Lutz nailed the game-winning, 35-yard field goal.
As of now, several football analysts expect that the wideout will be issued a suspension due to the severity of the incident.
It is not surprising that Gardner-Johnson was involved in an altercation, as he has a reputation for trash-talking and agitating players during games and even practices. Last month, he allegedly got into a scuffle with his own teammate, receiver Michael Thomas, during a practice. Thomas reportedly punched him after a heated argument took place, according to a report from Sports Illustrated .
Gardner-Johnson recently addressed the situation and made a vague statement about what actually happened.
“He’s still my teammate. There’s still respect for him,” he said.
“I play football. It’s football, guys get chippy. I don’t know what to tell you,” he also added.