PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Jalen Carter #98 of the Philadelphia Eagles walks off the field after getting ejected for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter in the game at Lincoln Financial Field on September 04, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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While the season opening matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys had its own level of in-game intrigue, the biggest turning point of the matchup happened prior to the ball being snapped.
During a brief intermission where Eagles staff members tended to their injured fullback Ben VanSeumeren, Philadelphia defensive tackle Jalen Carter spat in the face of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott as both players jawed with one another prior to the game’s first snap. Carter’s actions led him to being ejected from his team’s eventual 24-20 victory and began rumblings of a potential suspension beyond Week 1.
Later on, NBC broadcast was able to capture another video angle of the altercation between Carter and Prescott. The new angle showed the Dallas signal caller initiating the first spit that while wasn’t aimed at Carter’s face was at least directed into his vicinity.
Prescott was able to land the first spit by walking near Carter’s direction and getting beside the shoulders of his offensive lineman following a brief offensive huddle. Carter returned the favor up close and personal with a direct spat at Prescott’s face that drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and an automatic ejection.
“It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game,” referee Shawn Smith said to a pool reporter during the game’s third-quarter lightning delay. “It’s a non-football act.”
Carter was remorseful following the situation as he expressed his thoughts to the post-game media.
““It’s a mistake that happened on my side,” Carter said via The Philadelphia Inquirer. “And just won’t happen again. So I feel bad just for my teammates and the fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for family, also. But the fans, they show the most love. You heard them out there. Just not being able to start the game and even finish the game, just (expletive) me up. But we’re gonna get it better. Won’t happen again. I made that a promise.”
Prescott provided his detailed explanation to the media about why he needed to spit in the first place.
“I probably spit a thousand times throughout the game,” Prescott said. “I mean especially game day, maybe even in general and something I guess I’m not proud of. But in that case, he was trolling, I guess you could say, trying to mess with (Cowboys rookie guard) Tyler Booker. I was just looking at him. I was right here by the two linemen and I guess I needed to spit, and I wasn’t going to spit on my lineman and I just spit ahead.
“I would say he was back there and was in that sense and he goes, ‘Are you trying to spit on me?’ At that point, I mean I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn’t spit on somebody. ‘I’m damn sure I’m not trying to spit on you.’ We’re about to play a game. I’m wondering why you’re trying to mess with the rookie, and so when I stepped through, I actually say the words like, ‘Why the hell would I —’ excuse me, but I’m probably even more colorful. ‘What would I need to spin on you for?’ He just spit on me in that moment, it was more of a surprise than anything. Refs obviously saw it through the flag. I was like, ‘Hell yeah, we get 15 yards to start the game off.’ Didn’t realize he was getting ejected. Unfortunate that he did. Hell of a player.”
The NFL does have a history of punishing similar instances that pertain to the spitting variety between opponents. In 2020, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters wasn’t suspended but fined $12,500 by the league for spitting at Cleveland Browns wideout Jarvis Landry.
During the 2006 regular season, Terrell Ownes was fined $35,000 dollars by the league for spitting at Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo hall. He however wasn’t ejected from the game, because referees didn’t witness the act during game action.
Precedent has showed that spitting hasn’t been looked at as an offense worthy of a suspension from the league to its players. However, the NFL has made it their mission to advocate for “respect of the opponent” in 2025 and could use this incident as an avenue to enforce its new policy.
For now, the status of Jalen Carter and Dak Prescott for their respective Week 2 matchups remain up in the air.