Heading into opening night, both Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys knew a lot was at stake. For one, it was the pressure of living up to expectations after a Super Bowl win, and for the other, it was the pressure of proving that the off-season had paid off in dividends. No wonder opening night was supposed to be action-packed. However, the kind of action that actually transpired wasn’t what anyone had in mind. Jalen Carter was ejected after what many have dubbed as “Spitgate” or the act of spitting on Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott. But what if we tell you the Eagles’ defensive tackle didn’t start the controversy?

Or at least that’s what the latest revelations show. Hours after the questionable incident went down, beat reporter Nick Harris took to X to reveal, “Some more context on the Jalen Carter spitgate: According to two people with knowledge of the ordeal, Dak Prescott spit on the ground in the general vicinity of the Eagles defensive huddle. Carter thought it was hostile. While Prescott was explaining it wasn’t, Carter spit back.” But that’s not all.

Even Prescott alluded to the same in a post-game conversation when he said, “I wouldn’t spit on somebody. I stepped through [and] I actually said words like, ‘The hell — excuse me, but probably even more colorful — what would I need to spit on you for?’ And he just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything.” “It was more of a surprise than anything. The refs obviously saw it. Threw the flag. I was like, `Hell yeah! We get 15 yards to start the game off.′ Didn’t realize he was getting ejected. Unfortunate that he did. Hell of a player,” the QB further said, talking about the 15-yard penalty the Eagles got for Carter’s act.

Notably, the incident unfolded just six seconds into the game after the opening kickoff when an injury delay for Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren halted the play. During that time, Carter was seen walking up to Prescott and spitting on him squarely on his chest after a brief verbal exchange. Unfortunately, the referee was already walking up to the duo when the incident happened, and caught the action up close. Immediately, a flag was thrown and the Pro Bowl defensive tackle, ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Addressing the incident later, referee Shawn Smith told a pool reporter, “One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent. It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.” This begs the question: How far is NFL willing to go? Let’s look at what happened during similar past incidents.

• In January 2006, Washington Redskins’ Sean Taylor was ejected after spitting on Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Michael Pittman. While Taylor was eventually fined $17,000, he was not suspended.
• In 2007, Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens spat on Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall’s face. He was fined $35,000 but not suspended. He did not face an ejection either as officials failed to spot the act during the game.
• In 2020, Baltimore Ravens defensive back Marcus Peters was fined $12,500 for spitting on Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry. He was not suspended.
• In 1997, Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski was fined $7,500 for spitting on San Francisco 49ers WR JJ Stokes. He did not face suspension.

Looks like the Eagles will not have to worry much. Though, for Carter, this run-in with controversy is not new. Back in 2023, the 24-year-old was close to facing jail time after a racing-induced car crash killed two people, namely Devin Willock, the DT’s teammate in the Georgia Bulldogs, and UGA recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, hours after a national championship win. As per police reports, both Carter and LeCroy were reportedly involved in speeding, with the latter crashing into a power pole at 100 miles per hour.

Slated to be a top-five NFL Draft pick, the young player was fined $1,000, complete a state-approved defensive driving course and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service. Toxicology reports showed that the recruiting analyst had been intoxicated at the time of the unfortunate incident.

Analyst stil thinks Jalen Carter might face suspension

There’s still a real possibility Jalen Carter’s punishment won’t stop with missing the opener as per Mike Florio. And it entirely depends on how he reacts. “One factor will be, we’re told, the manner in which Carter handles the situation after the game. If he’s anything other than fully contrite, the league may decide to send a message stronger than the de facto one-game suspension Carter received by being sent to the showers without playing a single play, he said.

“For Carter to display the ultimate disrespect to an opponent before the first game of the season has even really begun, the league may decide that something more than an ejection is needed to send the right message to Carter — and to the rest of the league,” Florio added. Well, look at past precedent and the Eagles player’s apologetic behavior after the game, we already know what to expect.

After all, it’s not going to be easy losing a guy who racked up 4.5 sacks and 42 combined tackles last season.