- Steelers guard Trai Turner was ejected for appearing to spit on an opponent.
- Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger said Turner claimed a Raiders player spit on him first.
- A Raiders player said he didn't see anyone on his team spit on Turner.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Trai Turner didn't get to finish his home debut in Pittsburgh.
Turner, who was signed in June, was ejected in the fourth quarter when he got into a confrontation with the Las Vegas Raiders and seemingly spat on an opposing player.
A video showed Turner cocking his head back and appearing to spit in the direction of Raiders linebacker Marquel Lee.
—Ted Buddy 🏈🏈 (@TedBuddy8) September 19, 2021However, after the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that Turner was retaliating for being spat on himself.
"Somebody spit in his face," Tomlin said, according to Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I understand the 15-yard penalties and so forth, gaining control of the game and stuff, but Trai is not a young guy. He's not overly emotional. He's a flat-liner. For him to respond the way he responded, what transpired had to transpire, and I was stating that case to [the referees]."
Turner tweeted an apparent thank you to Tomlin, perhaps for coming to Turner's defense.
—Trai Turner (@trai_turner) September 19, 2021Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also said that Turner told him he was hit by spit.
"I didn't catch the very, very beginning of it, but just in talking to him, he said he got spit on," Roethlisberger said, according to Batko. "He didn't like that, which I understand and respect as a man, and he went and tried to say something to the guy that spit on him."
However, Raiders defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who was also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during the scuffle, said he didn't see anyone spit on Turner.
"From my vantage point, I saw one of their players try to spit on one of my teammates. And he was charging them, so I wanted to kind of separate it," Thomas said, according to Batko. "I got called for unsportsmanlike when I thought I was separating it. I've just got to protect my teammates, and you never want to see another guy spit on your guys or charge them and try to fight them."
The Raiders won the game, 26-17. It's unclear if Turner will face additional punishment.
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