Jalen Carter expressed regret after the Philadelphia Eagles’ season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys was overshadowed by his ejection for spitting on Dak Prescott.
The star defensive tackle was dismissed immediately after the opening kickoff as he was seen to spit on the Dallas quarterback as the two teams lined up for the first snap of the game.
Philadelphia struggled to put away the Cowboys despite the Eagles scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions against a Dallas defense adapting to life without Micah Parsons, the star pass rusher who was last week sensationally traded to the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys and Prescott had the chance to complete a game-winning drive as they got the ball with just over three minutes left and trailing by four points. However, that drive did not progress beyond the Cowboys’ own 45-yard line as a fourth-down stop after the two-minute warning sealed a 24-20 win for the Eagles.
But a night on which the Eagles raised the banner for their Super Bowl victory last season was marred by the actions of Carter, who could face a suspension for the incident.
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter, said after the game. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family, also. But the fans, they showed the most love.
“Not being able to start the game even, finish the game, it f****d me up but we’re going to get it better. It won’t happen again. I can make that promise.”
Footage released later showed Prescott appearing to spit on the floor in the direction of the Eagles’ defensive line. Prescott clarified the situation from his side in his post-game press conference.
“I probably spit 1,000 times throughout the game,” Prescott said.
“In that case, (Carter) was trolling, trying to mess with (Cowboys right guard) Tyler Booker. I was just looking at him, I was right here by the two linemen, guess I needed to spit, I wasn’t going to spit on my linemen, I just spit ahead.”
Prescott explained that Carter asked if he was trying to spit on him.
“When I stepped through [the huddle], I actually said the words: ‘Why would I need to spit on you for?,’” Prescott added.
“He just spit on me at that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything.”
Referee Shawn Smith told the game’s pool reporter: “One of the officials observed [Carter] spitting on an opponent. It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would not disclose if Carter would face discipline from the team.
On the possibility of a league suspension, he said: “If I get that text or that call and have that conversation, we’ll handle it then.”
The Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 2.
