Headed into the 2025 season, the NFL went out of its way to put an emphasis on enforcing sportsmanship rules. That came with a specific focus on taunting.
For all of their talk, there was little the league’s powers that be, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, could have done to anticipate what would happen in the regular season opener as the Dallas Cowboys traveled to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.
Just 6 seconds into the game — and before the first snap — the NFL’s worst nightmares came true from a PR perspective as the best defensive player for the Eagles, NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, was ejected after he spit on the league’s highest paid player, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Carter, who could be facing a possible suspension, was pilloried on late night podcasts and early morning sports talk shows following the game.
Nobody brought a more pointed critique of Carter than former NFL safety and Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark.
“”Not only is it freaking disgusting, not only do you show what a low-level human you are in that moment, but you let the entire team down,” Clark said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on September 5. “If you’re (Eagles head coach) Nick Sirianni, you have to make an example out of (Carter) … it’s not about football, it’s about humanity. It’s about personal respect.”
The possibility of Carter having to sit out for a second consecutive game would be a huge blow for his team, especially considering the Eagles travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 2.
“WTH did I just see? Jalen Carter — the Best Players on the Eagles defense — just got thrown out the game before a freakin snap for SPITTING….SPITTING on (Prescott),” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wrote on his official X account. “To hell with just an ejection. Suspend that man. How in the HELL could you do something like that? Inexcusable! Stupid! Selfish! #Damn!”
Shocking Moment To Kick Off NFL Season
It’s hard to overstate exactly how shocking the moment was when Carter spit on Prescott, who cameras later showed had spit in the general direction of Carter just moments earlier.
Prescott insisted he was not spitting at Carter, but had stepped forward to make sure he didn’t spit on his offensive linemen and was already engaged in a back and forth with Carter because the NFL All-Pro was “trying to mess with” rookie offensive lineman and first round pick Tyler Booker.
“This is the most wild start to an NFL season of all time,” former Eagles center Jason Kelce wrote on his official X account. “First play of the game, one player is carted off, the other ejected. I mean everyone knows you don’t spit, you swallow obvi”
“JALEN CARTER KICKED OUT BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTS FOR SPITTING ON DAK?!?” ESPN host and former All-Pro punter Pat McAfee wrote on his official X account. “Wowwwwwwwww”
“Stop with all the Dak spit first,” former Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson wrote on his official X account. “One person spit on the ground, the other spit on a person.”
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