The NFL’s opening game began in unusual fashion, as Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The incident occurred just as Dallas was taking the field to start the game, as there was a delay in the action while an Eagles player was dealing with an injury. That delayed period of time was enough for Carter to get into it with Dak Prescott, resulting in Carter’s ejection.
While Carter spitting on another player isn’t a typical penalty, there is a precedent in the NFL for players who were penalized for spitting on their opponents. Here’s a breakdown of how Carter’s actions may lead to punishment.
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Jalen Carter spits on Dak Prescott
Between the opening kickoff and the first offensive play, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected from the game for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter was immediately called for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the officials determined that the “non-football act” was worth an ejection.
Eagles star Jalen Carter is ejected from the NFL season opener before there’s a play from scrimmage.
Mike Tirico: “WHOA! WHOA!… Did he spit? Did he spit on [Dak Prescott]? I think he did. There you go.”
Cris Collinsworth: “You just can’t believe what you just saw.” 🏈🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/hDvGUVQBgU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 5, 2025
Why did Jalen Carter spit on Dak Prescott?
It appears that Carter spit on Prescott because he was retaliating to the quarterback. Prescott appeared to spit in the direction of the Eagles huddle before Carter went to spit in his direction.
NBC shows Dak Prescott spitting in the direction of the Eagles ahead of Jalen Carter spitting on him. #NFL https://t.co/D620I7mABp pic.twitter.com/OgMgwYGl3X
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 5, 2025
After the game, Carter said he felt bad for his ejection and downplayed the interaction with Prescott that led to the incident.
Jalen Carter addresses the media pic.twitter.com/XtEArwl2cq
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 5, 2025
Prescott added that he was just “messing around” with offensive lineman Tyler Booker and didn’t intend to spit at anyone. In fact, he was “insulted” that Carter felt he would spit at him.
Dak Prescott on Spitgate. Says Jalen Carter was messing with Tyler Booker. “I guess I needed to spit. I wasn’t going to spit on my linemen. I just spit ahead.” Says he felt insulted Carter suggested he tried to spit on him. pic.twitter.com/zJcWmX4ob0
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 5, 2025
However, Prescott still believed it was an “unfortunate circumstance” for Carter to get kicked out.
Will Jalen Carter be suspended?
Despite being ejected from the game, Carter is unlikely to be suspended by the NFL for his actions. The league typically leans on fines as punishments for unsportsmanlike conduct plays instead of suspensions.
In the past, the league has fined players a variety of amounts for spitting, as each situation had different context.
NFL spitting incidents
Perhaps the most famous spitting incident in NFL history was when Sean Taylor was ejected from a playoff game for spitting at wide receiver Michael Pittman.
Besides Taylor, Terrell Owens also had a spitting incident of his own when he spit at DeAngelo Hall during a game in 2006. Most recently, Saints’ defensive end Payton Turner spit at DeVonta Smith last September when Smith was on the ground after getting hit.
🚨DISGUSTING: #Saints DL Payton Turner SPIT ON #Eagles DeVonta Smith, after Smith was knocked out on a dirty hit by #Saints defender.
😳
He was clearly down.. and he spits on him.
(h/t @KyleFourReal) pic.twitter.com/eoRdSijvkW
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 22, 2024
