Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase appeared to spit toward Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34–12 loss, according to video circulating online.
Ramsey was ejected for throwing a punch, and afterward he claimed Chase had spat on him—a claim Chase denied in his own postgame comments. Both players received penalties on the play.
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the NFL plans to investigate the incident. A similar situation occurred in Week 1, when video showed Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jalen Carter spitting toward Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the very early moments of the game. Carter’s ejection counted as his suspension, and he was later fined $57,222.
Because Sunday’s incident happened with 12 minutes remaining, it’s unclear whether Chase could face a suspension, a fine, or both. And same goes for Ramsey.
“With the ejection, (Ramsey) should get fined,” Jones said for CBS Sports. “But if they determine that he was not the aggressor but in fact he was reacting to being spit upon, I would anticipate that (Ramsey) would not get fined. And instead, Chase would be suspended for a game. Because they set the precedent with (Carter) in Week 1.”
Referee Says Crew Didn’t See Spit
Head official Bill Vinovich told pool reporter Brian Batko postgame that the crew did not see Chase spit on Ramsey.
“There was a scuffle between the two,” Vinovich said. “We had been dealing with it all day and then it kind of escalated. They were both grabbing each other’s facemasks.”
The referee said a clear punch was observed and therefore a disqualification was issued.
Vinovich was asked if he saw Chase spit on Ramsey and he said, “No. Obviously, we did not. We did not see anything that rose to that level at all.”
It’s unclear what video was available to the officiating crew during the game. The field level high definition view showing Chase spitting wasn’t available online until well after the final whistle.
Bengals Fall to 3-7 With New England Next
Losing Chase for a game really has more fantasy football implications than anything after the Bengals have fallen to 3-7 on the season after losing quarterback Joe Burrow to injury in Week 2. Next week, they host the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots (9-2).
Chase, who set a Bengals record with 16 receptions in the Week 7 win over Pittsburgh, was held to just three catches for 30 yards this time. The Bengals really had nothing going against the Steeler defense, which is much improved in recent weeks.
“You feel all the losses. They all eat at you,” head coach Zac Taylor said postgame. “We’re working like crazy to make sure that this doesn’t happen. It happened today – it’s disappointing. Our option is to come back tomorrow and keep fighting and find a way to get a win. We’ve got a red-hot team coming in here (in New England), and so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do everything we can to clean this up, correct the mistakes, get back to work and fight another week, and find a way to get a win.”
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