The NFL is going to investigate what exactly led to the altercation


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Jalen Ramsey received an ejection from the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 11 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals following his altercation with wideout Ja'Marr Chase early in the fourth quarter.

Both players have differing accounts as to what led to the altercation.

"He spit on me," Ramsey said of Chase. "I don't give a f--- after that, respectfully. I'm always gonna be all for trash talking, shit talking, stuff like that. I actually enjoy that part of the game."

Chase denied spitting on Ramsey, who is hopeful that the NFL does its "due diligence" in terms of finding out what happened.

"I ain't ever open my mouth to that guy," Chase said. "We were going back and forth the whole time, so I'm sure something got under his skin. ... I didn't spit on nobody."

The NFL will investigate Ramsey's claim that Chase spit on him, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Specifically, the NFL will investigate to determine if Ramsey acted in self-defense or was the aggressor.

"If they determined that [Ramsey] was not the aggressor, but in fact he was reacting to being spit upon, I would anticipate that Jalen Ramsey would not get fined," Jones said. "Instead, what will happen this upcoming week is that Ja'Marr Chase would be suspended for a game because they set the precedent with (Eagles defensive tackle) Jalen Carter in Week One when they ejected him for that entire game."

Ramsey and Chase had a scuffle earlier in the game, but that was mostly civil. Ramsey said that wasn't the case later in the game.

"As soon as he spit, it was f--- that," said Ramsey, who also accused Chase of trying to crack block him earlier in the game. "I ain't gonna tolerate that part of it."

When asked about it afterward, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that the reasoning behind Ramsey's punch and subsequent ejection was irrelevant.

"We gotta be smarter," Tomlin said. "We gotta stay in football games, as individuals."

Referee Bill Vinovich said afterward that he did not see Chase spit on Ramsey, who was ejected because he threw a punch. Field-level video of the sequence, however, reveals that Chase did indeed spit in Ramsey's direction.

Ramsey's ejection came with the Steelers protecting a 20-9 lead. Pittsburgh was also playing without starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sustained a left hand injury just before halftime. Mason Rudolph led the Steelers' offense to a field goal during his first possession with Rodgers out at quarterback.

Despite Ramsey's absence, the Steelers recorded a 34-12 win that included two defensive touchdowns. Pittsburgh is now 6-4 and remains in front of second-place Baltimore in the AFC North standings.

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