Pittsburgh Steelers' cornerback Jalen Rams ey has offered an explanation for why he threw a punch at Cincinnati Bengals' receiver Ja'Marr Chase on Sunday, leading to an ejection.
Following the game, Ramsey said that before the punch, Chase spit on him.
"He spit on me," Ramsey said in a video shared by Brendan Howe of Steelers Now. "I don't give a f*** about football after that, respectfully."
A closer look at the exchange does seem to confirm Ramsey's claim.
While spitting on an opponent will result in an ejection if caught, it's not an easy thing to notice unless you're either right there or watching a close replay, particularly since both players are wearing helmets. Making matters trickier in this situation is that Chase had his back turned to the official nearest to the exchange, who was still several yards away.
Despite Ramsey's error in judgment, Sunday was a good day for the Steelers. Pittsburgh scored a convincing 34-12 victory over its division rival to move to 6-4. The Steelers still sit atop the AFC North standings.
The next question for both Ramsey and Chase will be what further discipline they'll face from the NFL. Throwing a punch generally leads to a suspension, which puts Ramsey's status for the Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears at risk.