PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There was a reason Jalen Ramsey threw a punch at Ja’Marr Chase and was ejected Sunday as the Steelers hosted Cincinnati. Ramsey said he was spit on. Video from Cincinnati Fox 19 reporter Austin Briski appeared to confirm it was true.
In watching the video it appears spit comes out of Chase’s mouth onto Ramsey’s jersey and that’s right before Ramsey punched Chase.
“He spit on me,” Ramsey said. “So, it’s up. I don’t give a f--- about football after that. I’m always going to be all for trash talking. I actually enjoy that part of the game. That’s what we were doing.”
Ramsey described that Chase tried to crack block him and they got up talking (stuff) a play before the ejection. Ramsey said Chase then took his mouthpiece off his facemask and that’s when Ramsey retaliated and pushed at Chase’s facemask.
He said the refs told both of them to chill and Ramsey said he was for that.
“The next play, the same thing, we were talking stuff, which I’m cool with,” Ramsey said. “As soon as he spit, it was f--- that. I ain’t going to tolerate that.”
“I ain’t never opened my mouth to that guy,” Chase said. “He don’t like some of the words that I told him. We’ve been going back-and-forth the whole time, I’m sure something got under his skin.”
Asked again if he spit on Ramsey.
“I ain’t spit on nobody,” Chase said.
Ramsey said the NFL has 100 cameras and we can all see it. Referee Bill Vinovich told a pool reporter he ejected Ramsey for punching Chase. They obviously didn’t see Chase allegedly spitting on Ramsey or anything that rose to that level.
The Steelers safety said he was actually a little too nice to Chase. He felt disrespected and used a phrase we can’t repeat to describe his disgust at the situation.
Mike Tomlin was asked if he got any explanation of what happened on the play.
“I don’t need any,” Tomlin said. “It doesn’t matter. We’ve got to be smarter. We’ve got to stay in football games as individuals.”