Yahoo Finance A stolen mouthpiece set Javon Wims off, and it might get him suspended
Chicago Bears wide receiver Javon Wims got into an on-field brawl with Chauncey Gardener-Johnson of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and it might just get him suspended.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday morning that the NFL is considering suspending Wims after he walked up to Gardner-Johnson at the end of a third quarter play and punched him in the helmet twice.
#Bears WR Javon Wims, who punched #Saints Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in his helmet to get ejected and start a melee, is being considered and evaluated for a possible suspension, source said. There should be a decision today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2020
There was a melee on field as the referees and members of both teams tried to separate them. Wims was immediately ejected.
One important question hasn’t been answered yet: Why did Wims do that? What could have led him to walk up to Gardner-Johnson and punch him in the helmet? There’s no official answer, but there is a likely theory.
Stolen mouthpiece
Astute Twitter user Evan Saacks appears to have found the moment that led Wims to punch Gardner-Johnson in the head. He traced it back to a play earlier in the third quarter, after which Gardner-Johnson ripped Wims’ mouthpiece off his helmet and tossed it to the ground.
THREAD: My Zapruder breakdown of the Chauncey Gardner-Johnson/Javon Wims beef.
It begins on this play on the Bears’ first possession of the second half. After exchanging some words, CJGJ rips Wims’ mouthpiece off and it falls onto the ground. pic.twitter.com/wwQgcbKdJ5— Evan Saacks (@evansaacks) November 2, 2020
Wims was then subbed out and couldn’t immediately retaliate, and his mouthpiece was still on the ground. Commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman even noticed that it had been laying on the field.
The Bears then suffer a delay of game penalty which pushes them back five yards: right into the mouthpiece! The right guard throws it out which Buck and Aikman recognize.
Foles is sacked which forces the Bears to punt, meaning Wims must wait even longer to retaliate. pic.twitter.com/2Zq4L4K3jo— Evan Saacks (@evansaacks) November 2, 2020
Wims finally made it back into the game more than 10 minutes later. Once the play was over, he made a beeline to Gardner-Johnson and tried to snatch his mouthpiece. That didn’t work, so he resorted plan B: punching him.
After an entire Saints drive where Wims was stewing on the bench for 11 real life minutes, Wims retaliates on the first play of the next drive. He tries to rip CJGJ’s mouthpiece out, but he is unsuccessful. That’s when he decides to throw a punch which... is also unsuccessful. pic.twitter.com/OJN6Uwuaxo
— Evan Saacks (@evansaacks) November 2, 2020
This theory makes a lot of sense, and it explains why Wims immediately walked up to Gardner-Johnson after the play was over and started messing with him — he’d been planning it for about 10 minutes.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also reported that Wims told team officials Gardner-Johnson spat on him, which only would have escalated things further.
Wims was smiling and clapping when he emerged from the bottom of the fight pile, apparently satisfied that he’d accomplished what he set out to do. Hopefully it was worth it, because it’s probably going to cost him.
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