Jalen Ramsey Claims Ja’Marr Chase ‘Spit on Me’ Before He Threw a Punch

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey got into an altercation during their teams’ matchup on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Both players were involved in the dust-up, which began with a verbal altercation that quickly turned physical following a play early in the fourth quarter of the Steelers’ eventual 34-12 win over the Bengals at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.

As seen on the broadcast, Ramsey, 31, took a swipe at Chase, 25, before grabbing his face mask in the escalated altercation. Players from both the Bengals and Steelers stepped in to separate the two amid the scuffle.

Both the wide receiver and defensive back received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a warning of an ejection if another such penalty went down. The players then resumed their fight following a timeout after the subsequent third down.

Ultimately, Ramsey was ejected from the game after the officiating crew saw him grab Chase’s face mask and throw a punch at him.

Chase, however, stayed in the game.

Ramsey explained his side of the story during a post-game press conference, alleging that Chase “spit” on him before he threw a punch.

“He spit on me, so it’s up,” the Steelers player said. “I don’t give a f— about football after that, respectfully.”

Chase, however, denied the spitting allegation when asked by reporters in the visiting locker room.

“I never opened my mouth to that guy,” the Bengals player said in defense. “I didn’t spit on nobody.”

A video from a field-level camera angle, shared by Fox 19 in Cincinnati, appears to support Ramsey’s take, with what appears to be spit spewing from Chase’s mouth before things got physical.

Now, NFL officials are reviewing what appears to have been an overlooked ejectable offense by the Bengals star.

Ramsey, in his 10th NFL season, joined the Steelers in the 2025 offseason after previous stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins. Chase, meanwhile, is in his fifth season with the Bengals after being selected by the Cincinnati team fifth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, which reunited him with his LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Elsewhere during the game, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the game with a left hand injury after being hit by three Cincinnati defenders in attempt to throw a pass into the end zone to wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The longtime QB appeared to fall awkwardly on his left hand before he returned to his feet and winced in pain while holding his left wrist.

Rodgers, who was replaced by backup QB Mason Rudolph, reportedly has a “slight break.”

The Steelers’ win over the Bengals advances the team to a 6-4 record this season, while the Cincinnati team drops to 3-7.