Jalen Carter caused a scandal even before the first snap of the new NFL season. The defensive tackle spat on quarterback Dak Prescott.

The NFL season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys ended in a narrow 24-20 victory for the Eagles.

But the focus is on an ugly incident: Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected from the field after just six seconds for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

The scandal occurred immediately after kickoff as the teams lined up for the first play. Carter and Prescott got into an exchange of words, after which Carter spat on the quarterback’s chest.

Spitting attack by Jalen Carter: Did Dak Prescott provoke it?

Replays showed that Prescott had previously spat on the ground in Carter’s direction, which may have triggered the escalation. Carter left the field shaking his head and smiling, while Eagles fans booed. “I certainly didn’t mean to spit on my offensive linemen,” Prescott said afterward: “I just spat on the ground.”

Prescott further explained that Carter thought he had spat in his direction. He replied, “Why the hell would I do that?” The D-liner’s ejection changed the Cowboys’ plan, especially in terms of blocking.

He felt sorry for Carter: “I don’t wish anyone to be ejected from the game.” Especially since it was the first game of the season: “I know how excited all of us players were to open the season, and he didn’t even get a chance to be part of the first play.” Ultimately, it was “unfortunate circumstances.”

The protagonist himself remained tight-lipped: “When you look at the pictures, everything will come out. I have nothing to say about it.” Nevertheless, Carter admitted his misconduct: “I apologized to the team and promised it won’t happen again.”

Despite the early loss of their star defender—Carter is one of the best defensive tackles in the league and was instrumental in the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory last year—the Eagles fought their way back.

The Cowboys initially took advantage of the situation and scored a touchdown by Javonte Williams on their first drive. In the end, however, Philadelphia managed a 24-20 victory and a successful start to their title defense.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Carter is no stranger

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently praised Carter for his aggressive style of play, but emphasized: “I don’t know if ‘maliciousness’ is the right word. He just has to play with the right attitude to reach his potential. He has to pay attention to the details, play with great commitment and be focused.”

Carter, who was selected ninth overall in the 2023 draft, has a controversial past: shortly before his draft failure, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving and racing, which resulted in a one-year probation sentence. The incident followed an accident that killed his Georgia teammate Devin Willock and a staff member.

Here is Jalen Carter spitting on Dak Prescott: pic.twitter.com/4F5BjEDLHf

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2025