Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey says he was spit on by wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase before he threw a punch that led to his being ejected from Sunday’s AFC North matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ramsey was ejected from Sunday’s 34-12 win over Cincinnati after getting into post-whistle altercations with Chase on back-to-back plays in the second half. 

During the first incident, both players were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Ramsey said after the game that the two players were going at it when Chase slapped his mouthpiece off of his facemask and then he grabbed Chase’s facemask. 

“The refs told us right after that to chill,” Ramsey said.

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers - NFL 2025

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 16: Jalen Ramsey #5 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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On the very next play, Ramsey and Chase were seen going at it again, with Ramsey ejected after throwing a punch at Chase’s helmet. 

Ramsey said he threw the punch because Chase spit on him. Chase denied spitting on Ramsey, but video of the exchange between the players appears to show otherwise.

Fox 19 photographer Austin Briski shared a field-level view of the alleged spitting incident, saying “the video clearly shows he did.”

Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said “I didn’t spit on nobody.”

The video clearly shows he did.#Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/ooGzInoPdS

— Austin Briski (@austin_briski) November 16, 2025

“I ain’t ever open my mouth to that guy,” Chase said. “He didn’t like some of the words I told him. We were going back and forth the whole time. I’m sure something got under his skin. I ain’t spit on nobody.”

“I’m sure the NFL will do their due diligence,” Ramsey said. “They have 100 cameras out there. They’ll investigate and see everything I just told you. They should be able to pull it up and see that he spit.”  

Referee Bill Vinovich said after the game, via a pool report, that the officiating crew did not see Chase spitting on Ramsey. 

CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones said the NFL will investigate Ramsey’s claim. 

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