Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has finally owned up to his spitting incident with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
Chase posted a statement to his Instagram account on Monday in which he owned up to spitting on Ramsey during the team’s Week 11 loss. He said he took “full responsibility” for his actions in the game, and apologized to his coaches, teammates, opponents, and fans.
“What I did was wrong,” Chase wrote. “The circumstances don’t matter. My passion for the game is no excuse. There’s zero place in our sport — or in life — for that level of disrespect.
“This has been a tough season with some incredibly hard losses. We’ve all been frustrated. But instead of stepping up with calm, class, and leadership, I let you down. My having to sit out yesterday’s game makes my actions even more inexcusable. I won’t let it happen again.”
Chase was suspended one game for spitting on Ramsey. Initially, Chase denied spitting on Ramsey at all, but after video emerged proving him wrong, he offered a fairly ridiculous excuse for his behavior.
Though he is not putting up the numbers he has in the past, Chase remains one of the game’s outstanding wide receivers. He has 79 catches for 861 yards and five touchdowns on the season.
