Suspension for spitting to cost Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase $500,000
It was an argument – or argument – between two NFL All-Pro players: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
And it’s going to cost Chase half a million dollars unless the appeal he filed goes in his favor.
Chase was caught on video spitting in Ramsey’s direction during Cincinnati’s lopsided loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Ramsey retaliated by throwing a punch at Chase and was kicked out.
The NFL suspended Chase for one game, which would cost him a week’s salary plus a bonus for being on the active roster totaling $507,156.
After the match, Chase denied spitting and referee Bill Vinovich told pool reporters, “We didn’t see anything at all that rose to that level.” » However, the video captured saliva in the air.
Ramsey, a 10-year veteran who helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI, responded violently and had to be subdued.
“I’ll always be completely OK with trash talk…stuff like that,” Ramsey told reporters after the game. “I actually enjoy that part of the game. I think people know that. But as soon as he spit it was like ‘f-that’.”
Ramsey, 31, said Chase snatched his mouthpiece earlier in the game, leading to a fight that resulted in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties being offset. Chase was previously guilty of this behavior against the division rival Steelers, grabbing defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon’s mouthpiece and running over safety Minkah Fitzpatrick during a game in 2022. Chase was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Ramsey, who played for the Rams from 2019-2022, is a seven-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro cornerback on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
Chase, 25, has been an elite receiver since being drafted out of Louisiana State in 2021. He was Rookie of the Year and All-Pro in 2021 and just last season he was an All-Pro selection after leading the NFL with 127 catches, 1,708 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.
This season, he already has 79 receptions, including 16 for 161 yards in the Bengals’ 33-30 victory against the Steelers on October 16. Last Sunday, however, he only had three catches for 30 yards in the 34-12 loss.
Despite the appeal, Bengals coach Zac Taylor made no excuses for Chase’s actions Monday.
“Obviously what happened is beyond the pale, and we cannot allow that,” Taylor said. “I know he will admit it.”
