Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase released an apology letter on Instagram after serving a one-game suspension for spitting on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey .
Chase apologized to the Bengals organization, the Steelers organization and the NFL community for his actions in the Week 11 contest.
"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."
While Chase personally apologized to the entire Steelers organization, he did not mention Ramsey by name.
Chase denied having spit on Ramsey after the game, but video evidence clearly showed that he did. Despite that, he appealed the decision, but to no avail. He served a one game suspension in the Bengals' loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
"I never opened my mouth to that guy," Chase said . "I didn't spit on nobody."
In addition to the one-game suspension, Chase forfeited his salary for the game, which means he lost over $500,000 in salary and per-game bonuses.
Chase spit on Ramsey after a fourth-down play where the Bengals tried to draw the Steelers offside in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. Ramsey and Chase had been in a scuffle on the previous play, and both players were assessed offsetting personal fouls. After the timeout, they again came together, and Chase spit on Ramsey.
Ramsey then punched Chase twice. Chase was not assessed a foul for spitting on the field. Ramsey was given a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and was ejected for throwing a punch.
Ramsey was fined $14,491 by the NFL for punching Chase after he spit on him.
"He spit on me, so it's up," Ramsey said after the game . "I don't give a fuck about football after that — respectfully."
Head coach Mike Tomlin defended Ramsey's actions on Tuesday.
"I have no message if someone spits in your face. Do what comes natural," Tomlin said .
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Ja'Marr Chase Apologizes to Steelers for Spitting Incident: 'What I Did Was Wrong'
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