Ja’Marr Chase Loses Appeal and Misses Next Game
The suspension of a game imposed on Ja’Marr Chase, star receiver for the Bengals, for spitting at Jalen Ramsey, Steelers’ defense, was upheld after an appeal. This means Chase will not be able to participate in Sunday’s game against the Patriots. Jordy Nelson, jointly designated by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, was the one who heard the appeal and confirmed the suspension announced on Monday by the league. The sanction will cost Chase his weekly salary of $448,333, plus an active game bonus of $58,823. The incident occurred during the Bengals’ 34-12 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. A video from WXIX-TV in Cincinnati clearly showed Chase spitting in Ramsey’s direction, which caused the latter to throw a punch at Chase. At that moment, the officials did not detect Chase’s action before ejecting Ramsey for the hit.Chase denied spitting on Ramsey. Both players had had a previous altercation in the game, which resulted in penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. When announcing the suspension, the league cited the section of the regulations that applies to “any act that is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship”.We didn’t see anything that reached that level at all.
Bill Vinovich, main referee
