Bills' Sam Franklin Jr. Suspended for Spitting, Will Appeal

Sam Franklin Jr. says he did not spit on anyone, and he is fighting the suspension. The NFL suspended the Buffalo Bills defensive back and special teams captain one game without pay on Wednesday for spitting at a Las Vegas Raiders player in Buffalo's Week 6 win, and Franklin is appealing, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

He is the second Bill suspended for spitting in that game. The league had already banned safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson one game for spitting in the direction of Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Gardner-Johnson has indicated he will accept the consequences.

What the NFL says Sam Franklin did

The league said the incident came with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter, after a successful Raiders extra point in Buffalo's 33-30 win. The ruling cites Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which covers any act "contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship."

Franklin got into it with Raiders offensive tackle DJ Glaze after the play. Pro Football Rumors noted that he took a hit below the belt from Glaze first, and that the video does not clearly show spitting.

Franklin made his case on Instagram a couple of hours after the ruling, posting a slow-motion replay of the extra point with the caption: "Not a dirty play what so ever! Will always defend myself though. Still won't spit on anyone." Garafolo reported that Franklin is adamant he did not spit.

Bills fans will be rewatching that replay all week. The clip cuts off before the scuffle, so it does not settle anything.

When the ban would hit

Buffalo is on a bye this week, so nobody misses a game yet. If the suspension holds, Franklin would sit out the Week 8 home game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 1. Per NFL.com, he would be eligible to return to the roster on Monday, Nov. 2.

The appeal goes to one of the hearing officers jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association: Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson, Ron Rivera or James Thrash.

Bills coach Joe Brady said Monday, when asked about Gardner-Johnson, that the team would not add any punishment beyond the league's ruling.

What Buffalo loses if it sticks

Franklin does not play defense this season. He is a special teams player, and an important one. He leads the Bills with a 77.65% special teams snap share, per Pro Football Rumors, and has six tackles in six games. Buffalo re-signed him to a three-year, $7 million contract last winter.

So the Ravens game could be missing two Bills from the Raiders win, depending on the appeal. Buffalo is 5-1.

Smacktok pick: if the appeal fails, keep an eye on Baltimore's kick and punt returns on Nov. 1, since Buffalo would be without the player who takes the most special teams snaps on its roster.