For a split moment, Dak Prescott was lost for words. Jolted back to reality by the sheer absurdity of what just happened, the quarterback quickly signaled toward the referee. Immediately, a flag was thrown and Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on his opponent just six seconds into the game. Up to this point, we already know. However, that’s where the controversy deepens because just a few hours after the incident went down, a new narrative surfaced on social media. One that showed that the Cowboys signal-caller had spit first, not at Carter but perhaps in his vicinity. So, as expected, the community wondered: Will Prescott also face repercussions alongside Carter?

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on September 5, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided an idea. “With regard to Dak, there is no equivalency here. There’s no rule against somebody spitting in the general direction of another player who is several yards away from them. What you can’t do is directly walk up and spit on a guy’s chest, point-blank. I would be surprised if there is any discipline for Dak,” the journalist said.

As for the Eagles’ defensive tackle, he might be up for just monetary loss. “The fact that he missed the entire game probably would point you toward this is not going to be a suspension. Beyond that, there’s been spitting incidents in the past. Usually, those have been handled by fines and not suspensions. Jaylen Carter does not have a long disciplinary history in the NFL. These are all reasons to think that he’s not going to get suspended. But again, the NFL’s got extra time because the Eagles don’t play again for another what, nine days here. And so they can fully evaluate this,” Pelissero mentioned. Past precedent says he’s right.

When Washington Redskins’ Sean Taylor spat on Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Michael Pittman in January 2006, he was ejected and later handed a $17,000 fine. Same was the case with Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens in 2007, who committed the act on Atlanta Falcons’ DeAngelo Hall. While he wasn’t ejected since officials failed to notice it, Owens was penalized for $35,000. Then, in 1997, Denver Broncos linebacker Bil Romanowski also incurred a $7,500 fine for spitting on San Francisco 49ers’ JJ Stokes. Additionally, Baltimore Ravens’ Marcus Peters was penalized for $12,500 after spitting on Cleveland Browns’ Jarvis Landry in 2020. None of the players were suspended. Yet, Mike Florio had a slightly differing opinion…

“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 wrote on Pro Football Talk.

“As one source pointed out to PFT, the most talked-about topic of the offseason with clubs and players was “respect for the opponent.” 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,” he further added. But what do the two protagonists have to say in the matter?

Dak Prescott and Jalen Carter react to “Spitgate”

While Carter may have acted purely on emotion at first, a little introspection seems to have left him with better judgment. After the game, he admitted, “It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again. 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. It won’t happen again. I can make that promise,” he said.

Prescott, on the other hand, was expectedly flabbergasted. 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.”

So, yes. It should work out for Carter as far as the NFL goes. If the Eagles decide to suspend him? That’s an entirely different story. He’s arguably their most lethal defensive weapon, so any decision the franchise makes will affect them as much as it would affect Carter. Whatever happens, we’ll have a concrete update on it before week 2.