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The 2025 NFL season kicked off on September 5 with the Philadelphia Eagles facing off against the Dallas Cowboys. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected only six seconds after kickoff for spitting toward Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during an argument. Despite Carter's early exit, the Eagles won 24-20.
Initially, Carter was slammed for his actions, but video clip later showed that Prescott may have instigated the exchange by spitting in Carter's direction first.
The NFL fined Jalen Carter $57,222 and suspended him for one match. However, since he was ejected before playing a single snap, the league considered the suspension as already served.
On the incident, former Eagles Centre Jason Kelce, tweeted after the match:
“This is the most wild start to an NFL season of all time. First play of the game, one player is carted off, the other ejected. I mean everyone knows you don’t spit, you swallow obvi.”
Talking about the incident also was Jason's wife, Kylie:
"I bleed green,” Kylie said on her podcast on Thursday (Timestamp: 0:27). “And by the way, Dak spit first. And in case you were wondering, Jason's tweet: I read it and laughed, obvi, before he posted that. So, all the people are thinking that it was appalling, do you know my husband?!"
Jason Kelce on Jalen Carter's talent
Jason Kelce also discussed the incident on Friday on his New Heights podcast.
"He's a great player, (but) he has to be smarter than this," Kelce said. "He has a chance to be one of the best defensive linemen in this era of football. That's how dominant he has been to this point. Don't let this dumb behavior jeopardize the career, the person, and the legacy that you can build, especially in this city."
Kelce labelled the incident "really unfortunate" and noted that Jalen Carter would now have to carry the image of being a part of a public Controversy. However, he also talked about forgiveness.
"We all make mistakes," Kelce said. "I have done things that I'm not proud of. Everybody gets caught up in the heat of the moment. He's taken accountability. Now, moving forward, we need you to be better than that, Jalen. We have to have you better than that. And you need to be better than that for yourself."
Carter issued a public apology and is eligible to play the Eagles' next match against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni has not confirmed whether the team will impose any more disciplinary measures.
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