Dak Prescott felt insulted in seconds leading up to Jalen Carter spitting incident

Dak Prescott felt insulted in seconds leading up to Jalen Carter spitting incident originally appeared on The Sporting News

The NFL season opener delivered a wild, intense atmosphere. Among the many tense moments was the spitting incident between Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

Prescott revealed that he felt insulted in the tense seconds before Carter spat on him and was ejected just seconds into Thursday night's matchup.

Prescott said he often spits during games, sometimes over a thousand times, but he clarified the moment that led to the incident.

"I wasn't going to spit on my linemen and I just spit ahead," Prescott said, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter. "He was back there and he goes, 'Are you trying to spit on me?'

He added:

"At that point, I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn't spit on somebody. I'm damn sure not trying to spit on you. We're about to play a game."

According to Prescott, Carter was "trolling" rookie guard Tyler Booker, which led Prescott to step forward and question Carter's actions. "I actually said words like, 'What would I need to spit on you for?'" Prescott said. "He just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything."

THE PLOT THICKENS.

More angles and context have surfaced about Jalen Carter's ejection.

???? NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/2eFceHs14V— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 5, 2025

Carter was immediately ejected after the incident for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The defensive lineman apologized afterward, calling his action "a mistake" and promising it wouldn't happen again.

The incident didn't derail the reigning champions, who managed a 24-20 victory over Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.