Six seconds into the 2025 NFL season opener, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was asked to prematurely exit the game. As Philadelphia’s medical personnel tended to an injured player, the camera zoomed in on Carter approaching the Dallas Cowboys’ huddle. The next thing you know, the Eagles lost their defensive advantage. This left both NFC East franchises without their best defenders on the field in Week 1.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, as usual, was lined up in the huddle on the far side of the line of scrimmage. It’s unclear what was said between the players, but the QB left the huddle and soon approached Carter. The jawing continued, but before both men started walking towards their respective sides, Carter apparently spat on Prescott. The QB was quick to signal the action to the referee, who flagged the Eagles’ player for unsportsmanlike conduct and gave a 15-yard penalty. Cater was ejected. When PFWA pool reporter Zach Berman interviewed referee Shawn Smith, the conversation went something like this:

Berman: “What did you observe that led to the disqualification?”
Smith: “One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent.”
Berman: “Why did that rise to the level of disqualification as opposed to a different penalty?”
Smith: “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”

As per the NFL’s rulebook, Section 2 suggests: “If the designated members of the Officiating department determine that a foul for a football or non-football act called on the field is flagrant, then they can instruct the on-field officiating crew to disqualify the player(s) who committed the foul.” But here’s where the plot thickens with the latest update on the story.

During a rain delay in the third quarter, NBC reviewed the confrontation and discovered a new video angle that displayed Prescott to be the first one to have spat at the ground in Carter’s direction. Whatever may have transpired, it was ultimately Dallas who took the advantage and scored a touchdown six plays later.

As underrated a star as he may have been during the championship season, with Carter gone, the job gets relegated to the interior defensive linemen: Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Gabe Hall, Byron Young, and Ty Robinson. But at the end of the day, it would be difficult to compensate for Carter’s absence, considering defensive strategies, such as drawing on double teams, are built around Carter as the centerpiece.

Despite getting flagged four times for unnecessary roughness last season, this would be Carter’s first as far as unsportsmanlike conduct goes. In fact, when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was probed about it on Monday, he said, “Yeah, I don’t know that nastiness is the right word. That kind of invokes (former NFL guard) Conrad Dobler-type stuff. I just think he has to play with the right mindset to reach his potential, or come close to reaching his potential.” Funny how things panned out, considering Dobler, too, had a history of similar incidents. So much so that he would physically hurt, spit, and bite his opponents to find his way to three consecutive Pro Bowl selections and four playoff appearances for his team in his decade-long career.

The ruling, as aggressive as it may sound, shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the league passed a tightened rule book just last month. After a 133% increase in ‘unsportsmen-like’ gestures, league executive Troy Vincent made his stance clear: “There’s no place in the game to be standing over your opponent.” In the past, the league has been inconsistent in its ruling when such incidents have occurred. For example, players like Terrell Owens (2006) and Marcus Peters (2020) were fined $12,500 and $35,000, but were never shown the door. Sean Taylor (2005), on the other hand, was both fined $17,000 and ejected for spitting on Michael Pittman during the playoffs.

Stick around as we cover future developments.