Tomlin Makes It Clear: Chase Spit, Ramsey Responded, Steelers Move On

There is no playbook, in the National Football League or elsewhere, for how one ought to respond when another human being spits in one’s face.

“I have no message if someone spits in your face,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “Do what comes natural.”

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In the case of Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey, with a little more than 13 minutes remaining of his team’s Week 11 game against the Bengals, it was to grab Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s face mask with his left hand and then swing his right arm toward that same direction.

Ramsey knew that punch would not inflict any arm on Chase, who was wearing a helmet and eye shield. Ramsey should have been aware, although the shock of the moment clearly overwhelmed him, that his next unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would trigger an automatic ejection from the game.

Tomlin mentioned during his weekly press conference that spitting on an opponent is not “common to the game of football.” Being spat upon is not something anyone is likely to encounter as adult.

So none of us has standing to blame Ramsey for his reaction, even though it put the Steelers at risk of losing their lead against the Bengals.

Chase since has been suspended a game by the NFL for his actions, following the precedent set in the Jalen Carter situation from the Eagles-Cowboys game earlier this year. But the NFL might want to consider increasing the penalty in the future to assure no one will have to deal with such disrespect.

Ramsey has been exceptional at safety since moving to the position full-time in advance of a game against the Colts in early November. He had been extraordinary Sunday, with Chase held to two catches and 14 yards while Ramsey was in the game — after the Bengals superstar had produced an average of 11 receptions and 114 yards in his previous four games. And with cornerback Darius Slay out injured and slot corner Brandin Echols hampered during this game, the Steelers were at the very edge of their depth in the secondary with Ramsey gone.

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There were those who reacted harshly in the immediate aftermath of the ejection, including me. Without being aware of the provocation, it was reasonable to conclude Ramsey should not have incurred another unsportsmanlike penalty when he’d been flagged on the previous play — even though it was Chase, also penalized, who had shoved him backward by his face mask.

So it’s still fair to say that, so soon after the offsetting penalties, Ramsey should not have engaged with Chase following the Bengals’ fruitless attempt to draw the Steelers offside in a fourth-and-1 situation. Ramsey and his partners in the Steelers’ secondary were owning Chase. He obviously was frustrated by his performance and trying to use confrontation — and, ultimately, more than that — to distract from his struggles.

Once they were face mask-to-face mask, though, Ramsey’s response was justifiable. Even though it meant he would not play the rest of the afternoon, and even if there had been consequences to his absence.

As it turned out, the Steelers yielded only a field goal on that possession, which brought the Bengals to within a single score, and then Pittsburgh mounted a game-sealing drive highlighted by running back Kenneth Gainwell’s 20-yard catch-and-run on third-and-11.

“I certainly talked to Jalen in game,” Tomlin said. “It’s an unfortunate incident. … It’s nothing to do with football. I’m not gonna comment on it. The NFL office rendered their judgment, and so we’re moving on.”

Ramsey would do well not to put his jaw into spitting distance — after the play is over — of any receivers he helps shut down in future Steelers games. But the contention he was undisciplined, or that Tomlin is to blame, is as misguided as Chase’s saliva was late Sunday afternoon.