PITTSBURGH —Despite getting tossed from Sunday's 34-12 win before it was through, Jalen Ramsey had full support from his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates.
Ramsey punched Cincinnati Bengals standout receiver Ja'Marr Chase after allegedly being spat on, just moments after the two were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"Two competitors, but one guy took it too far," longtime Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward said afterward. "Our guy got penalized, but if you're gonna spit on a guy, you don't belong in the game and hopefully the NFL handles it because we all tried to calm Jalen down.
"But if a man spits on you, that's a different reaction you that you shouldn't ever have to deal with."
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey is held back from Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase after Chase allegedly spit on him. Ed Thompson/Steelers Now
Outside linebacker Nick Herbig said he was "just trying to mediate it," but has Ramsey's back "100%" Herbig was later asked if there was any indication Chase spat on his teammate.
"I don't know," Herbig said. "If he did, that's lame."
Defensive tackle Yahya Black and Steelers director of player development Darrel Young had to hold Ramsey back as he continued to try to go after Chase. The Steelers' defense had to adjust without one of its leaders, but cornerback James Pierre recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to put the icing on the cake.
"We just had the same 'next man up' mentality," Pierre said. "We weren't expecting to lose Jalen. … He's still mad."
Pierre didn't jaw back and forth with Chase as much as Ramsey or fellow coverman Joey Porter Jr. did, though.
"It gets chippy out there," Pierre said. "We're just trying to compete. He loves to compete, we love to compete."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Teammates Defend Jalen Ramsey After Ejection vs. Bengals
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