Jalen Carter ejected from Eagles-Cowboys game for spitting: Did Dak Prescott spit first?

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The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the 2025 season against the rival Dallas Cowboys Thursday night, and we saw an ejection before the first play from scrimmage. Eagles star defensive tackle Jalen Carter was booted from the game after the opening kickoff for appearing to spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. 

Due to an injury on the opening kickoff, there was a pause in play. As the starting Cowboys offense and starting Eagles defense took the field, Carter approached Prescott. The two exchanged words before Carter spit on Prescott’s uniform, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. In addition to the ejection, the Eagles were hit with a 15-yard penalty for Carter’s actions.

Referee Shawn Smith told a pool reporter that one of the officials “observed [Carter] spitting on an opponent,” something deemed a “disqualifiable foul in the game” and “a non-football act.”

Thursday’s game was delayed in the third quarter by lightning. And during that delay, the NBC broadcast showed what caused Carter’s outburst. As Carter barked at the Dallas huddle, Prescott inched in toward him and spit in his general direction — but toward the ground. Soon after, the two were face-to-face and Carter responded by spitting directly onto Prescott. 

According to CBS Sports research, Carter’s ejection — after only six seconds — was the fastest in an NFL game since Sept. 12, 2005 when Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis were tossed before kickoff due to a pregame fight.

The No. 9 overall pick out of Georgia in 2023, the 24-year-old Carter is one of the up-and coming defensive stars in the NFL and one of the best players on this vaunted Eagles defense. Last season, he recorded 42 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl. The 53 pressures Carter racked up en route to the Super Bowl ranked fourth-most among all defensive tackles in 2024. His loss is a huge one for Vic Fangio’s unit. 

A motivated Prescott responded accordingly, and led a six-play, 53-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard Javonte Williams touchdown to give the Cowboys the first lead of the game.