NFL’s Punishment Stance on Dak Prescott Spit Confirmed After Jalen Carter Investigation Begins, Per Insider

The season opener gave us something iconic. Between a season-ending injury on the very first play, Pickens being Pickens, a weather delay, and CeeDee Lamb forgetting how to catch, it’s like the NFL scriptwriters exhausted their ideas for the season already. But the Jalen Carter spitgate is what’s going to be talked about for weeks.

Yes, DT Jalen Carter was ejected six seconds into the game after he spat on Dak Prescott‘s chest. But hours after the game, there was video evidence that showed Carter was not the only one who spat. Dak did too. So, Carter will surely be investigated. Will Prescott receive the same treatment? Tom Pelissero shared his views on the matter.

“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,” Pelissero said.

Fair enough. You can argue that what Prescott did was provocative. He spit right next to Carter and seemed to be trash talking. But those are all ‘football acts’. Put simply, Pelissero’s point hinges on intent, aim, and distance. Spitting toward the opposite sideline (even if the camera angle makes it look close) isn’t the same as walking up to someone and deliberately spitting on them.

That interpretation perfectly coincides with the NFL’s rulebook. Any non-football act can trigger an ejection and later review from the Commissioner’s office. Like with Carter. Accidental spitting or spitting in proximity isn’t deemed a non-football act.

Carter and Prescott also seemed to be exchanging words before the incident. Almost like Prescott was trash-talking, but you can’t sue a guy for that. No matter how provocative his words are, do you know what Prescott said post-game? Just know he meant for this ejection to happen.

“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,” he said. Hell of a player indeed. But now, what’s next for him?

NFL to begin Jalen Carter investigation within 24 hours

Pelissero confirmed the obvious: the league is reviewing Carter’s ejection for “possible additional discipline.” He noted that spitting usually draws fines, not suspensions, and the league has some time to make a call thanks to the schedule.

“Usually, spitting incidents have been handled by fines and not suspensions. Carter does not have a long disciplinary history in the NFL. But again, the NFL has got extra time because the Eagles don’t play again for 9 days. So they can fully evaluate this,” he said. But he shouldn’t be too worried about a suspension.

Past NFL spit cases almost always ended in fines (and sometimes an ejection), not suspensions. That’s great news for the Eagles. Looking back, Marcus Peters was fined $12,500 for spitting in 2020, Terrell Owens got hit with a $35,000 fine for a 2006 incident, and Sean Taylor was docked $17,000 for a playoff spit that same year.

And the league would make the disciplinary decision after taking into account how Carter ‘reacts’ in the next few days. He did a good job of making his case in the post-game interview. “It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter said. “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.

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.