Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected early in the season opener Thursday night after he was caught spitting on Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
The incident occurred following the opening kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly. As some staff tended to an injured player, Carter was seen going helmet to helmet with Prescott.
Carter was immediately hit with a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game. An Eagles staffer escorted him off the field, with cameras following and announcers expressing their shock.
Jalen Carter was ejected from the Eagles’ season opener after appearing to spit at Dak Prescott.
(🎥 NBC) pic.twitter.com/HbETVk1ALd
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2025
Footage later emerged showing Prescott spitting towards Carter first, which is why he claimed he retaliated. But the quarterback insists he was just spitting forward and not aiming at anyone.
“I was just looking at him and I was right here in between two linemen,” Prescott said of the incident. “I guess I needed to spit, and I wasn’t going to spit on my linemen, so I just spit ahead.”
“He asked or goes, ‘Are you trying to spit on me?’ At that point, I felt like he was insulting me,” the Cowboys quarterback continued. “I wouldn’t spit on somebody, and I’m damn sure not trying to spit on you, we’re trying to play a game… He just spit on me in that moment, and it was more of a surprise than anything. The refs obviously saw it and threw a flag. I was like, ‘Hell yeah, we get 15 yards to start the game off,’ I didn’t realize he was getting ejected. Unfortunate that he did and hell of a player.”
Carter issued an apology after the game.
“You know it was a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won’t happen again,” Carter told reporters after the game. “I feel bad for just my teammates and the fans out there. You know, I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family also but the fans, they show the most love. You heard them out there and not being able to start the game to finish the game just f*** me up, but it won’t happen again.”
Despite losing one of their best defensive players, the Eagles managed to eke out a win for week one, besting the Cowboys with a final score of 24-20.
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