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The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced a bizarre incident in their Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spat on Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey. As would be expected, Ramsey reacted violently by punching the Bengals star.
Chase denied spitting on Ramsey, even though video clearly shows he did. That’s why Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin sent a message to his player after the spitting incident.
“I have no message if someone spits in your face. Do what comes natural,” Tomlin said.
#Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on his message to Jalen Ramsey after the Ja’Marr Chase spitting incident:
“I have no message if someone spits in your face. Do what comes natural.”
(🎥 @steelers) https://t.co/CrdcOiy6rm pic.twitter.com/ogam1iM609
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 18, 2025
This isn’t the first time that Chase’s character has been exposed. He’s talked a bit too much on and off the field, and in this case, he was clearly lying about what happened.
That’s not to say that violence should be condoned. Then again, this is one of the most disrespectful things anybody could do to another person, so it’s only normal to expect that Ramsey was going to react with anger. As a result, Chase was given a one-game suspension, whereas Ramsey won’t face any discipline from the NFL, though he was ejected from the game while Chase was not.
The Bengals’ season continues to go down the drain, despite Chase’s big numbers and stellar play. Yet there’s much more to being a professional athlete than just putting up stats, and once again, Chase is proving to be tough to root for.
This won’t do anything to help his team. With injured quarterback Joe Burrow trying to rush his way back to the field, another loss in Week 12 against the New England Patriots might make that effort meaningless.
