Jalen Carter Appears to Have Regrets About Spitting on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Before the 2025 NFL season had even begun, the league was already dealing with a controversy. Jalen Carter, one of the star defenders for the Philadelphia Eagles, spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap of the game, and was then ejected from the game.

The Eagles went on to win a close showdown, but following the incident, many naturally wanted to better understand why Carter spit on his opponent before the game even started. Here's what we know.

We may never know exactly what happened here, as Prescott and Carter have slightly different versions of the story. Prescott appeared to spit toward the Eagles' defense before Carter returned fire, but Carter ultimately drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and was ejected from the game. Prescott explained that his spit was not meant to be directed at the Eagles.

"In that case, he was trolling, I guess you could say, trying to mess with [Cowboys RG] Tyler Booker. I was just looking at him. 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," Prescott said, per CBS. "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 d--n sure I'm not trying to spit on you.' We're about to play a game," Prescott continued. "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 spit on you for?' He just spit on me in that moment; it was more of a surprise than anything."

Carter didn't offer much of a defense, but seemed to suggest that he had been provoked.

"I don't try to do nothing out of the ordinary ... But if it's something there, you all see it," Carter said. "When things started to come out and you started seeing things, you can go off that. But I got nothing to say about that."

To his credit, Carter also expressed some remorse for his conduct, suggesting that he shouldn't have allowed it to interfere with his ability to take the field for the first game of the season.

"It was a mistake that happened on my side. It just won't happen again," he said following the game. "I feel bad, just for my teammates and the fans out there. I'm doing it for them. I'm doing it for my family also. They showed the most love. You heard them out there today.

"Just not being able to finish the game, or start the game even, finish the game (is disappointing). It won't happen again, I promise."