Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was suspended one game by the NFL for spitting on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers on Sunday — a punishment that definitely suits the crime.
Head coach Joe Brady has continuously gone to bat for his polarizing defensive back. But his most recent comments regarding the situation, in which he took a blatant shot at star running back James Cook, have landed him in hot water with many Bills fans.
“CJ is a member of the Buffalo Bills, we brought him here for a reason, and he knows that he has to play better, he knows he has to be better for this team, and just like everybody else, we have to learn from this stuff and we have to improve and find ways to get better as the season goes,” Brady told reporters.
“No different — it’s different, right — than [James Cook] fumbling. We have to continue to find ways to get better. He knows he has to get better and this is an opportunity for him, or it could be an opportunity for someone else to play and step up. It’s an opportunity for him to grow and be better as a teammate and better football player.”
Bills Fans Fuming Over Brady’s James Cook Shade
Though Brady tried to backtrack, he still tried to draw a comparison between Cook’s fumbling issue and Gardner-Johnson spitting on another player.
Some likely didn’t think twice about what Brady said, but a large contingency of fans on social media were quick to call the first-year head coach out for even trying to draw a comparison between the two incidents.
“There’s no world in which James Cook’s name should’ve come up in this conversation,” former NFL running back Damien Harris replied.
“If i’m james cook i’m requesting a trade lmfao your QB doesn’t let you score and your coach is bashing you to the media after a 100 yard game,” one fan exclaimed.
“Bills fans, why would your coach go out of his way AGAIN to publicly criticize James Cook? This comparison is absolutely ridiculous. CJ spitting on another player is nowhere near the same as Cook fumbling the football. Mid-thought, he realizes how ridiculous it sounds and tries to clean it up with ‘no different, it’s different, right?’ How is he even making this comparison?” proclaimed another fan.
“James cook has to feel a certain way every time he gets thrown under the bus,” one user wrote.
“Why the hell are you bringing up James Cook’s name in this scenario?” asked another user.
“Joe Brady needs to take a PR class. He’s fumbling at the podium more than James Cook is fumbling during the games. Voluntarily throwing players under the bus is wild work,” another user added.
Joe Brady Says CJ Gardner-Johnson Incident Will Be Addressed
Though Brady seemed to try and absolve Garnder-Johnson of any wrongdoing in one press conference, he did mention that the spitting incident will be addressed in another.
Brady noted the entire roster needed to be better about their discipline in games, but he specifically mentioned incidents like Garnder-Johnson’s are just unacceptable.
“The discipline of our football team has to improve, and that sure as hell can’t happen,” Brady said. “The team is bigger than that, the situation is bigger than that — everything is bigger. It can’t happen, and it definitely has to be addressed.”
Buffalo is on a bye this week, but they’ll host the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 1. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to be back for that game, and not having an experienced defensive back like Garnder-Johnson makes that game a little more difficult to win.
Bills HC Joe Brady Under Fire for Controversial James Cook Comments