Jalen Carter was barely on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles’ season-opening game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, and the star defensive tackle did not give excuses for the actions that resulted in him making an early exit.
Carter was ejected just six seconds into the Eagles’ 24-20 win over the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Carter and Dak Prescott began jawing at one another before Dallas took its first offensive snap of the game, and Carter was caught spitting on the quarterback.
While speaking with reporters after the game, Carter expressed remorse and said he made “a mistake.”
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It just won’t happen again,” Carter said. “I feel bad for just my teammates and the fans out there. I’m doing it for them. I’m doing it for my family also, but the fans showed the most love. You heard them out there. Just not being able to finish or start the game, even, just f–ed me up, but we’re gonna get it better. It won’t happen again. I can make that promise.”
Some footage that was aired by NBC showed that Prescott spit in the direction of Carter before Carter spit at Dak. Prescott said he had been talking with his offensive lineman when he had to spit, so he spit over Tyler Booker’s shoulder. Carter apparently thought that Prescott was spitting at him, so Carter retaliated.
You can hear Carter’s comments, but be aware that the clip contains a curse word:
Jalen Carter addresses the media pic.twitter.com/XtEArwl2cq
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 5, 2025
Carter, who was mocked over and over with the same meme after the spitting incident, is arguably the Eagles’ most important defensive player. He is fortunate that Philly won the game, otherwise his first-quarter ejection would have been viewed as much more costly.