Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from the game in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders for getting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the same contest. He then proceeded to curse out the referees on social media.
Eagles C.J. Garnder-Johnson Goes Ballistic on Social Media After Getting Ejected
In the middle of the Eagles-Commanders game Sunday afternoon, Gardner-Johnson took to social media to berate the officials who called him out and flagged him for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Gardner-Johnson was tagged with his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game during the third quarter after communicating to Commanders players following a Zack Baun forced fumble which resulted in Washington’s fourth turnover of the afternoon.
PFWA Pool Reporter Nicki Jhabvala interviewed referee Shawn Smith on the Johnson ruling that led to his disqualification.
“Question: Could you explain the ruling for the second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on C.J. Gardner-Johnson? What led to the call that ultimately got him ejected?
“Smith: He’s basically taunting the opponent on the second foul. He already had a first one earlier in the game that we had announced as the first towards disqualification. So, this became his second. He was taunting the players, so that’s a disqualification by rule.”
While he exited the field after being told he was disqualified, Gardner-Johnson gave the middle finger to the Washington crowd.
Respectfully got kicked out for nothing, I play with passion and fire!! Guys was chirping all day what u expect !!
— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) December 22, 2024
As Smith mentioned, Gardner-Johnson picked up his first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first half after he was allegedly punched in the face by Commanders’ wide receiver Dyami Brown. The officials, however, saw Gardner-Johnson retaliate. Brown’s punch allegedly knocked off Gardner-Johnson’s helmet.
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship defended his teammate and said he did not hear Gardner-Johnson say anything that necessitated the second penalty.
“I’m not gonna get into detail. I’m gonna have his back. He didn’t say anything at all. I was right there,” Blankenship said. “But when you’re on the hot spot, things happen. At the end of the day, I have my dude’s back.”
The Eagles would go on to lose the game 36-33 as the Commanders scored a touchdown inside the final minute of play. Jayden Daniels threw the game-winning touchdown to Jamison Crowder in the back of the end zone with 10 seconds left to play in the game.