Why has Ja’Marr Chase been banned by the NFL?

Ja’Marr Chase has been handed a one-game suspension for spitting at Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey in Sunday’s game.

In the fourth quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals’ 34-12 loss, Chase was involved in a confrontation with Ramsey. Chase appeared to spit at Ramsey, which prompted the Steelers player to grab Chase by the facemask and strike out. Ramsey was ejected for his part in the fracas but officials did not take any action against Chase.

The officials later confirmed that they had not seen the spit but the NFL wasted little time in punishing Chase. The Bengals star was disciplined under league rules banning “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.”

The league’s Disciplinary Committee has handed Chase a one-game unpaid suspension, which would see him miss out on at least $448,000 in base salary. Speaking after the announcement was made, Bengal head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that he had spoken to Chase about the incident.

“It’s like we are trying to make something out of this situation. It’s the only thing that’s kind of upset me as I’m sitting in here,” Taylor explained.

“For a guy that has done everything we can to build our organization around, he’s been awesome. Not perfect. I’m not perfect. Trust me, I made plenty of mistakes yesterday [that] people don’t see on camera. Unfortunately his was. He’s going to have to own up for that. That will be part of his journey.”

Chase’s one-game suspension means that he will miss the home game against the New England Patriots next weekend. It’s a major blow for the Bengals, who are currently 3-7 on the season and have now lost three straight games.

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