The NFL has landed on a punishment for Jalen Carter – as the Eagles defensive lineman will be fined $57,222 for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Carter was ejected from Philly’s Week 1 win just six seconds into the game following his act, and the league said in a statement that it is treating his ejection as an already-served one-game suspension.
Thus, the 24-year-old is forfeiting his game check for Week 1, which is the amount he is being fined, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out.
Carter will not appeal the decision and is set to be available for the Eagles’ matchup against the Chiefs this weekend.
‘League rules prohibiting unsportsmanlike conduct are of vital importance to everyone involved in the game,’ the league said in a statement.
‘The NFL has been clear with players, clubs, and the NFLPA that it plans to place particular emphasis on sportsmanship this season.’
Jalen Carter spat at Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (left) just six seconds in
Carter has forfeited his game check from Week 1 but will be available for Week 2 vs. the Chiefs
While incredible slo-mo footage captured Carter spitting at the Cowboys quarterback, it later emerged that Prescott actually spit in Carter’s direction first.
Video showed that 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 after injuring it on the game’s opening kickoff.
Carter took offense at the action, claiming it was ‘hostile’ while his teammate was down on the turf, according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
He then decided to spit on Prescott with a referee just nearby, and was quickly tossed from what turned out to be a 24-20 Eagles win.
Prescott explained after the game that it was commonplace for him to spit on the field.
‘I’ve probably spit a thousand times during the game, I guess I needed to spit so I spit ahead. 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.
Carter, meanwhile, said: ‘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.’
Carter has blossomed into one of the league’s top defensive linemen since selecting him No. 9 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He made the Pro Bowl last year and played a significant role in the Eagles lifting the Super Bowl over the Chiefs.
Kansas City and Philly will stage their Super Bowl matchup at 4:25 on Sunday.
