The NFL made it clear before the season that sportsmanship would be a point of emphasis.
Jalen Carter provided the first example of misconduct. Now, he awaits discipline from the league.
With tens of millions watching the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on the rival Dallas Cowboys, Carter spat on Dak Prescott six seconds into the league’s opener on Thursday night.
The 24-year-old defensive tackle, a second-team All-Pro last season, was ejected from the game, forcing the Eagles to play without their best defensive player. They still won 24-20.
A fine is expected and a suspension is a possibility, though Carter’s contrition after the game and precedent should help his case. Players have been fined for spitting on opponents in the past, but there doesn’t appear to be a case where anyone was suspended for doing it. Carter would appeal any suspension through the NFL Players Association, so it would be difficult for such a penalty to hold up considering prior disciplinary measures by the league.
Disqualifying Carter was an easy call for the officials, who’ve been instructed by the league to maintain order.
Teams were informed there would be no tolerance for unsportsmanlike or inappropriate gestures. Players were shown a video in which league executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his playing career, said: “Respect your opponent, respect your teammates and play the game in between the whistles.”
Carter spitting on Prescott was the ultimate sign of disrespect.
“I don’t know how you can do that as a man, first of all,” Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy said on NBC’s broadcast. “But then to let your teammates down, that’s unspeakable.”
Rodney Harrison, who was a two-time All-Pro safety over a 15-year career with the Chargers and Patriots, called it “very selfish and very disrespectful.”
Carter has previously demonstrated a pattern of poor discipline.
He was penalized three times for unnecessary roughness last season and was also benched to start a game in a disciplinary move by coach Nick Sirianni. One of Carter’s penalties in a game against Pittsburgh last December led to Sirianni having a heated conversation with defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who stood in front of the player on the sideline when the coach approached him.
Carter also was fined $17,445 for an open-handed blow to the head of Washington Commanders center Tyler Biadasz in the NFC championship game.
The Eagles were only in position to draft Carter in 2023 with the ninth overall pick because several teams passed him up due to his role in a fatal car crash in college that killed a teammate, offensive lineman Devin Willock, and a Georgia recruiting staffer, Chandler LeCroy.
Carter received one year of probation and was fined $1,000 after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing related to the wreck.
Carter’s ejection should have sent a message to both teams that the league is serious about officials enforcing sportsmanship.
That didn’t stop Philadelphia’s Nolan Smith Jr. from earning a taunting penalty for standing over Miles Sanders and flexing after stopping him for a loss on a run play.
“There’s no place in the game to be standing over your opponent,” Vincent said in the video that was sent to teams before the season.
Sirianni addressed his team’s personal fouls after the game.
“I want these guys to play with great energy, great tenacity while doing it within the rules of the game,” he said. “I know we had one with Nolan and one with JC, and that creates short fields for an offense. Again, we want to be there. We want to have great energy, tenacity, all those different things, but we’ve got to do it within the rules of the game, and we will address that. We’ll go through that, but we’ve got to get better in that scenario. We need that guy on the field. He’s a really good player.”
Carter approached Prescott after the quarterback had stepped up in the huddle, stood between two of his linemen and spit on the ground in the direction of Carter, who was several yards away.
“He was trolling, trying to mess with (Cowboys guard) Tyler Booker,” Prescott said. “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 linemen 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 not trying to spit on you.’”
Carter expressed remorse for his actions.
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” he said. “I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there.”
Carter is playing on a four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract worth about $21.8 million. His performance on the field has set him up for a contract extension that could average more than $40 million per season.
He can afford another fine, but spitting on Prescott did more damage to Carter’s image.
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