Sports

All NFL players are now on clear notice. Spitting on an opponent will result in a one-game suspension.

The punishment imposed Monday on Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase for spitting on Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey during Sunday's game has been upheld. The league announced the decision on Tuesday night.

Chase will miss the Week 12 game against the Patriots.

The appeal was handled by hearing officer Jordy Nelson, who is one of the three people jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and the NFL Players Association to process appeals of discipline imposed for on-field misconduct.

It's the first time the NFL has suspended a player for spitting. Prior to 2025, the punishment was always a fine. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was ejected before the first play from scrimmage in a Week 1 game against the Cowboys for spitting on quarterback Dak Prescott, was fined the amount of a game check without being suspended for the Week 2 game at the Chiefs. The league characterized it as a suspension, and Carter did not appeal the decision.

Moving forward, all teams should make sure all players realize the stakes. Spitting means not playing — and losing a game check. For Chase, the price tag is $448,333. Making it the most expensive loogie in NFL history. By far.

The Cowboys traded for George Pickens without giving him an extension. They have a bargain this season, paying Pickens only $3.656 million.

He has a team-leading 83 receptions for 908 yards and seven touchdowns. It's already the second-most yards and the most touchdowns Pickens has had in his career.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lauded Pickens’ performance in the win over the Raiders on Monday night when the wide receiver made nine receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Pickens, though, is scheduled for free agency in March.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer made it clear on Tuesday that he wants Pickens beyond this season.

"Sign me up. I mean, what do you say?" Schottenheimer said Tuesday, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. "Those two guys [Pickens and CeeDee Lamb], I just love their relationship, man. I love the firepower that they give us. That's one of those games where you never know which one it's going to be. Some games it's both of them. Some games it's one of them, and again, like I said, I pinch myself at times. Because when you're talking about you're Dak [Prescott] or the play caller, like myself, you're like, 'OK, if we do this, which way do I throw it to? I like that matchup, but wow, that one is pretty good, too.' That's real.

"I'm very in favor of George having a long-term future with us."

The projected receiver franchise tag for 2026 is at least $28 million in cash and cap charges, and Pickens is expected to want a long-term deal worth at least $30 million per season.

As the Patriots and Bengals wait to revise their game plans for Sunday based on the outcome of the Ja'Marr Chase appeal hearing, it's important to note that the NFL-NFL Players Association hearing officers are far from independent.

The trio of hearing officers — Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, and Jordy Nelson (who will handle the Chase case) — are "jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFL Players Association to decide appeals of on-field player discipline." They does not make them independent, free from consequence for any ruling that one side or the other doesn't like.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement explains that, as to hearings for on-field misconduct (like spitting on an opponent), the NFL and NFLPA "shall, on an annual basis, jointly select two (2) or more designees to serve as hearing officers." It's a year-at-a-time appointment. And if one side or the other doesn't want to continue with a given hearing officer, they'll jointly appoint someone else.

This dynamic interjects a potential political consideration into the analysis. When faced with a tough decision, the hearing officer may ask himself (consciously or not) whether the NFL or the NFLPA will be more upset with a bad outcome.

As to Chase, it seems safer to the long-term assignment to uphold the suspension. The league clearly wants it. And the NFLPA currently is in a state of disarray. Even if the union currently had a long-term leader and no turmoil whatsoever, would the NFLPA want union members to not face significant punishment for spitting on other union members?

Keep that in mind, and don't be surprised if Chase's suspension is upheld. Even if the NFL has never actually suspended a player for spitting on another player.