On a night that was supposed to be about a championship banner and a new beginning, the Philadelphia Eagles season opener against the Dallas Cowboys went sideways in literal seconds.
Before the first snap, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Philadelphia still outlasted Dallas, 24–20, but the first chapter of the Eagles’ title defense will be remembered more for SpitGate than anything else.
But what actually happened in the pre-snap incident? NBC’s broadcast and multiple outlets later revealed some key context during a later lightning delay: replay showed Prescott spitting toward the ground in Carter’s direction first. Carter then approached, and cameras captured him spitting directly on Prescott—an action officials immediately deemed disqualifying. The sequence doesn’t excuse Carter’s conduct, but it might explain the why of it all.
After the game, the Eagles’ All-Pro DT was asked about the incident, and he directed the bulk of his comments toward his teammates and Eagles fans.
Jalen Carter Breaks His Silence About Spitting on Dak Prescott
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter said about spitting on Prescott. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, also. But the fans, they showed the most love.” He also added: “I wanted to be out there with the guys so bad.”
Referee Shawn Smith’s pool report left little gray area about the punishment: “One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent. … It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.” The 15-yard flag that accompanied the ejection put Dallas on a short field, and the Cowboys promptly marched for a touchdown. Philadelphia lost its most disruptive interior lineman before he even played a down—and paid for it immediately.
For his part, Prescott denied spitting at Carter. “I guess I needed to spit,” Prescott said after the game. “I wasn’t going to spit on my linemen — I just spit ahead.”
What did Carter say about Prescott spitting? “I don’t try to do nothing out of the ordinary,” the Eagles DT said said. “Anything that I feel like I have done something bad has been provoked. If it’s something out there, y’all see it.”
Carter Is Too Important for Philly’s Defense to Let This Happen Again
After his ejection, Carter walked off the field slowly, helmet clasped behind his back, boos mixing with stunned silence surrounding him as he exited through the tunnel he had just ran out of.
Since going No. 9 overall in 2023, Carter has been every bit the interior disruptor the Eagles hoped for. He had 6.0 sacks, 33 tackles and two forced fumbles as a rookie, a PFWA All-Rookie nod and was runner-up for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year behind Will Anderson Jr.
He followed that up in 2024 with 42 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 16 QB hits and two forced fumbles, adding 2.0 more sacks and another forced fumble in the postseason. Carter earned his first Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors by the time his second season had finished.
The Eagles have spent months preaching discipline and detail and they won anyway, which can be a noisy kind of grace. But Thursday set the standard for what can’t happen again.
The NFL is being more vocal about sportsmanship than ever, and the league is still going to review the incident. Carter’s postgame comments suggest he knows the stakes — but he’ll have to be far more disciplined moving forward. The best answer for a player as gifted as Carter is will be the quiet kind: no more headlines like this, just more dominance on the field.
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