Dak Prescott has addressed the claim that he spat on Jalen Carter as footage emerged of the incident.
The 2025-26 NFL season began on Thursday night, with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 24-20. But much of the focus quickly shifted away from the result and onto an incident earlier in the game between Carter and Prescott.
Shortly after kick-off, Eagles defensive end Carter was ejected for spitting directly at the Cowboys quarterback Prescott. After the game, the 23-year-old acknowledged he had made a mistake and issued an apology.
Carter said: "You know, it was a mistake that happened on my side and it just won't happen again. I feel bad for my team-mates and the fans out there. You know, I'm doing it for them.
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"I'm doing it for my family also but the fans, they show the most love. You heard them out there."
Video replays showed that just before the incident, Prescott was spitting down at the ground.
The Cowboys star said insisted he was not aiming at Prescott and believes the Eagles player misunderstood what he was doing.
Prescott explained: "I guess I needed to spit and I wasn't going to spit on my linemen.
"I just spit ahead and he goes, 'You're trying to spit on me?
"At that point I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn't spit on somebody. I'm definitely not trying to spit on you. Like, we're about to play a game.
"And he just spit on me in that moment and it was more of a surprise than anything."
What punishment could Jalen Carter face?
The incident has led to speculation among NFL fans that Carter will be faced with a ban. Although many people believe he should be suspended, past examples indicate that a ban is unlikely.
The most recent comparable case came in 2020, when Baltimore Ravens' Marcus Peters spat at Cleveland Browns' Jarvis Landry. Peters was fined, but he avoided a suspension.
After yesterday's game, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said that conversations between himself and the player would be kept private.
He added that they would accept any punishment which would be handed down from the league.
Based on historical examples, Eagles fans will expect Carter to be available for their next game.
Their next fixture is against the Kansas City Chiefs, in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl.
Topics: NFL
James Taylor