In what was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen while watching a football game, Javon Wims was ejected for punching Chauncey Gardner-Johnson during a game. It raised Matt Nagy’s ire and led to Zapruder style film breakdown in the wake of the incident. And while we got additional explanation as to what happened, Wims was still suspended for two games and had the suspension upheld after an appeal.
Even still … I couldn’t help but wonder if the other shoe would fall at some point down the line. After all, Wims wasn’t unprovoked. And the player he punched – Chauncey Gardner-Johnson – is a known irritant. Even his own teammates have thrown hands at him during practice.
So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gardner-Johnson was disciplined for his role in the Wims incident:
#Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined $5,128 for unsportsmanlike conduct as part of last week’s brouhaha with #Bears WR Javon Wims, who was suspended two games for punching him.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2020
Gardner-Johnson receiving a $5,128 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct closes the book on this chapter. And what a fitting end, too. Because the only thing more non-sensical than punching someone wearing a helmet is doing something to provoke being punched in the first place. Well done by both parties to earn fitting punishments for ridiculous behavior.
And in the end, I get to share a tweet that properly uses the word “brouhaha.” What a day!