Ja’Marr Chase apologized for spitting at Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during the Bengals’ Nov. 16 loss in Pittsburgh, though he never mentioned Ramsey by name in the lengthy statement.
Chase penned the lengthy apology letter and posted it to his social media Monday, the day after he served his one-game suspension for the incident.
He apologized to “my team, fans, the Bengals organization, the Steelers organization, and the NFL community” in a post to his Instagram.
“Please know I am speaking from my heart when I say I take full responsibility for my actions during last Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh,” Chase started off the message. “What I did was wrong. 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.
“I want to personally apologize to everyone within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. I let my emotions in the moment get the better of me. I can only hope and trust you know none of it represents who I am — not as a competitor, teammate or person.”
Chase, 25, went on to apologize to his coaches, teammates and the organization “for not meeting my own standards as a leader of this team.”
Chase was caught on video spitting in the face of Ramsey during an exchange between the two players late in the game earlier this month.
The Bengals receiver and the Steelers’ corner confronted one another. It was eventually seen that Chase spat at Ramsey, causing him to hit Chase and leading to other players running in to intervene.
Originally, Ramsey was the only one penalized from the exchange, but the league opened an investigation after the video emerged of Chase spitting.
Chase mentioned his frustration with how the Bengals’ season has gone — they’re currently 3-8 after losing to the Patriots 26-20 on Sunday — having impacted him.
“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,” he wrote.
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Chase lost $507,156 because of the suspension.
He has started 10 games this season for the Bengals and made 79 catches for 861 yards and 43 touchdowns.
