NFL Suspends Bears WR Javon Wims for Two Games for Punching C.J. Gardner-Johnson

The NFL has suspended Bears wide receiver Javon Wims for two games after he threw multiple punches at the head of Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Sunday.

Wims will be suspended without pay for violating the NFL's unsportsmanlike conduct rules. He will be eligible to return to the Bears' active roster on Nov. 17 and has three days to appeal the suspension.

Midway through the third quarter of Chicago's eventual 26-23 overtime loss, Wims approached Gardner-Johnson from behind and proceeded to punch the defensive back twice in the helmet area.

Wims was ejected following the incident.

"I did not see it," Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Sunday. "I totally missed it. I was looking down when I heard about it. But what I did hear is what it looked like. It was completely unacceptable. We talked to him. We told that that's not how things go here."

The FOX broadcast noted that at one moment earlier in the game, Gardner-Johnson appeared to antagonize Wims by yanking Wims' mouthpiece after a play. 

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Wims also told Bears officials that Gardner-Johnson spit on him. On Monday, the Saints safety denied the report.

Gardner-Johnson was also the player who was reportedly punched by Saints teammate Michael Thomas during a practice in October.

Wims, a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, has appeared in all eight games this season. He has five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on the season. 

He finished Sunday's contest with one reception for nine yards.