PHILADELPHIA — The NFL will review Thursday night’s incident in which Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just before the game’s first snap. The league reviews actions that lead to such ejections.

Further discipline may be forthcoming. Spitting has in the past led to fines, not suspensions. In 2006, former Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens was fined $35,000 for spitting on Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. In 1997, former Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski was fined $7,500 for spitting in the face of 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes.

In a Thursday night pool report, referee Shawn Smith described Carter’s penalty as “a non-football act” — “a disqualifiable foul in the game.” The NFL and the NFL Players Association collectively bargain a code of conduct for on-field actions. In 2024, 543 plays resulted in fines that totaled $5.8 million, which the league donated to two foundations that support past players and the health, safety and wellness of players across all levels, including youth football.

Carter, a 2023 first-round pick, was fined twice in 2024 for unnecessary roughness penalties. His fines totaled $29,262. He spoke at his locker after his disqualification for spitting on Prescott, saying, “That’s a mistake that happened on my side. Just won’t happen again.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not disclose how he will take disciplinary action. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts opened his press conference by calling out the team’s lack of “discipline and focus,” then disclosed that he “had a conversation with” Carter and that “there’s a sense of accountability and everything.”

“Everything that we do is going to be held in-house,” Sirianni said. “Again, (Carter) knows, and we needed him out there today and he wasn’t out there against a really good offense.” The Eagles won the game 24-20.

Prescott, who was not penalized in the incident, was caught on camera spitting in Carter’s direction before their close encounter, in which Carter walked up and spat on him. Prescott attributed his spitting to a personal habit, saying he “probably” spits “a thousand times throughout the game,” but the Cowboys quarterback acknowledged that he traded words with Carter after Carter “was trolling” rookie right guard Tyler Booker.

“I was just looking at (Carter),” Prescott said. “I was right here by the two linemen and I guess I needed to spit, and I wasn’t going to spit on my lineman and I just spit ahead. I would say he was back there and was in that sense and he goes, ‘Are you trying to spit on me?’ At that point, I mean, I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn’t spit on somebody. ‘I’m damn sure I’m not trying to spit on you.’ We’re about to play a game. I’m wondering why you’re trying to mess with the rookie, and so when I stepped through, I actually say the words like, ‘Why the hell would I -” excuse me, but I’m probably even more colorful. ‘What would I need to spin on you for?’ He just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything.”

That Prescott wasn’t penalized doesn’t prevent him from possibly being fined after the NFL concludes its review process of the incident. In January 2022, Prescott was fined $25,000 for criticizing officials following a 23-17 wild-card loss to the 49ers.

(Top photo: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)