CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A single spit by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will likely cost him $500,000.
Chase was suspended one game by the NFL on Monday for spitting at Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey during Sunday’s game. It's officially for an act of unsportsmanlike conduct.
NFL reporter Ian Rapoport says Chase will appeal, which will likely be resolved on Tuesday.
If upheld, the suspension means Chase will miss Sunday’s home game against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Paycor Stadium. Missing the game will cost him his weekly paycheck of $448,333 along with a $58,823 per game active bonus.
The incident occurred in the second half after a play when Ramsey threw a punch at Chase and grabbed his face mask. Ramsey was ejected. Chase was not penalized on the field after referee Bill Vinovich said his crew did not see Chase spit at Ramsey.
Video appeared to show Chase spitting at Ramsey, leading to the league’s discipline. Chase denied spitting when asked about it in the locker room Sunday. He did not talk in the locker room on Monday as he declined to comment when asked.
Chase leads the NFL with 79 receptions for 861 yards and five touchdowns this season. He was held to three catches for 30 yards against Pittsburgh on Sunday after posting 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown in the teams’ previous meeting on Oct. 16.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Chase, who was selected as a captain by his teammates, should not be judged on this one, single, action.
"First of all I've always been impressed with how Ja'Marr's handled himself, because he is in a lot of these situations where he's got a target as a top player," said Taylor. "He gets a lot of respect that way, so guys try to do a lot of things to get his attention, get him off his game. I've always thought it was unbelievable how he's handled himself in high pressure, emotional decisions. Obviously what happened is crossing the line and we can't have that. I know he'll own up to that. Beyond that I've always sat up here and praised Ja'Marr, because he's one of the best leaders we've got the way he goes about everything. He plays with a ton of emotion. He plays with a ton of leadership. Our guys respond to that and I've always appreciated how he's handled himself."
Taylor said Chase has been an exemplary teammate.
"Ja'Marr's one of my favorite players. I love how this guy handles everything that he's been a part of, so making one mistake doesn't disregard everything this guy's done that's been positive for us. I think that's what you're asking. I really don't know what you're asking me. I can't say enough positive things about Ja'Marr and think about the amount of situations people have tried to put him in and the way that he's always responded. We're not all perfect. We're going to make a mistake here and there, but I stand by Ja'Marr. I know it's an emotional situation. I know there's a lot of things going on there that lead to things like that. We'll just continue to move forward."