Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is waiting to learn if wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be suspended for spitting on Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey on Sunday, but he made it clear on Monday that the incident does not change his overall opinion of the wideout.
Taylor called Chase one of the best leaders on the team and said that he’s been impressed by how Chase has avoided other potential altercations over his career despite attempts by opposing players to goad him into a reaction. Taylor said that “one mistake doesn’t disregard” everything that Chase has done before even if Sunday’s actions went further than they should have.
“I’ve always thought [it was unbelievable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbD8mpoq97g) how he’s handled himself in some really high-pressure, emotional decisions,” Taylor said in a press conference. “Obviously what happened is crossing the line. We can’t have that. And I know he’ll own up to that.”
Chase denied spitting on Ramsey after the game, but Taylor’s comments make it clear that the Bengals believe the video evidence that shows him spitting at Ramsey.
Taylor said that he will keep his conversations with Chase and others in the organization private while stressing that “people are allowed to make a mistake” without it overshadowing everything else that’s gone on during their careers.
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