Jalen Carter took full responsibility after getting ejected from Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-20 win over Dallas Cowboys before a snap had taken place.
Seconds into the game, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott spat on the ground near the Eagles defensive huddle while Philadelphia fullback Ben VanSumeren, who was later carted off the field, was down having his knee examined.
Carter saw what Prescott did and took exception, squaring up to the Cowboys signal caller and spitting directly onto him. The referees saw, and promptly kicked him out the game.
‘I feel bad for my teammates and the fans out there. I’m doing it for them,’ Carter said. ‘It was a mistake that happened on my side.
‘It won’t happen again. I don’t try to do nothing out of the ordinary. I wanted to be out there with the guys so bad.’
It was a moment that threatened to derail the game for the Super Bowl champions before it had truly begun. But the Eagles, via an hour-long weather delay for thunderstorms, would eventually carve out a 24-20 victory over their divisional rivals at Lincoln Financial Field.
Jalen Carter (right) inexplicably spat at Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott
Carter was ejected from the game after just six seconds in a disastrous start to his season
‘I’ve probably spit a thousand times during the game, I guess I needed to spit so I spit ahead,’ Precott said afterwards. ‘He (Carter) said ‘are you trying to spit on me?’ At that point I felt he was insulting me, I wouldn’t try and spit on anyone.
‘He just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise, refs saw it and threw the flag, I thought ‘hell yeah we’ll get 15 yards to start the game’. I didn’t realize he was going to get ejected, he is a hell of a player. It changed our gameplan.
‘Unfortunate circumstances, it’s probably going to get a lot of coverage and attention.’
Prescott added: ‘It hit me more on my shirt, my collar, than skin. But yeah, I was more surprised. I’m sure it’s something he is not proud of.’
It remains to be seen if the league will punish Carter further for his moment of madness.
Suspensions can be given for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ – and it would be a massive blow for Nick Sirianni’s team as they face Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2.
The Eagles took Carter out of Georgia with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
The 24-year-old has quickly blossomed into one of the top defensive lineman and played a key role in helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl last season.
Footage later in the night showed Prescott spitting on the ground before Carter responded
Prescott insited that he wasn’t trying to provoke Carter before the start of the game
But Carter’s stock in the 2023 draft slid because of his role in a fatal car crash in college that killed a teammate, offensive lineman Devin Willock, and a Georgia recruiting staffer, Chandler LeCroy.
Carter was given one year of probation and fined $1,000 after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing related to the wreck.
The Eagles felt they had the right veteran leadership and the professional kind of environment that could help him thrive and put off-field issues behind him.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said during training camp last month that Carter had developed into a force.
‘Jalen´s shown how dominating he can be as a player,’ he said. ‘When you have that guy and when defensive offensive linemen are sliding to that guy, it creates opportunities for the guys playing next to him.
‘You have to count for him. If you´re going to block him one on one, he´s got a great chance to win those matchups. I mean, he´s that kind of player and he´s a special player.’
