Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin didn’t admonish defensive back Jalen Ramsey for his normal reaction to being spat on by Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, but it eliminated the safety.
“I don’t have a message if somebody spits in your face,” Tomlin said Tuesday.
After a pause, the coach added, “Do what’s natural.”
What came naturally for Ramsey was a grab and a right jab to Chase’s face.
With 12 minutes left in the Steelers’ 34-12 victory, Chase and Ramsey started punching. Ramsey was ejected after throwing a punch. Video from FOX19 WXIX following the game showed that despite his denials, Chase did indeed spit on Ramsey.
“I was aware that I obviously talked to Jalen during the game,” Tomlin said of the incident. “It’s an unfortunate incident. It’s not an act that’s common in the game of football. It has nothing to do with football. So I’m not going to comment on that. The NFL front office made their decision, so we’ll move on.”
The NFL’s decision was to suspend Chase for one game. The outfielder’s appeal was denied, and hearing officer Jordy Nelson upheld the one-game suspension Tuesday.
The NFL did not suspend Ramsey for the hit in response to saliva exposure.