Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter did not play a single snap during his club’s win over the Cowboys in the NFL’s regular season opener on Thursday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Carter may also miss at least Philadelphia’s Week 2 matchup with the Chiefs, as the league could suspend the 2024 Pro Bowler.
Following an injury to Philadelphia fullback Ben VanSumeren on the opening kickoff, Carter spit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott while the two teams were waiting on the field during the ensuing injury delay (it later became clear that Prescott spit in the direction of Carter and the Eagles’ defense before Carter’s retaliation). Carter was promptly ejected, and a decision from the NFL as to whether the Georgia product will miss any additional games is expected on Monday.
He will at least receive a substantial fine, per Schefter, who says a speech given by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent during the spring owner’s meetings could be instructive in this matter. In his speech, Vincent said sportsmanship posed one of the biggest threats to the NFL’s brand, and that there would be “zero tolerance for acts that demean the game.”
The Eagles survived the Cowboys contest and hung on for a 24-20 victory, but Carter’s absence was noticeable, particularly in the early stages of the game. The team would obviously love to have him on the field for the upcoming Super Bowl rematch.
Carter, the ninth overall pick of the 2023 draft, finished second to Texans defensive end Will Anderson in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his rookie season and earned Second Team All-Pro acclaim last year, in addition to his first Pro Bowl nod. He has compiled 10.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and 20 tackles for loss over his first two years in the league.
“It was a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won’t happen again,” Carter said after the game. “I feel bad for my teammates and the fans out there. … It won’t happen again. I can make that promise.”
Technically, a suspension of any length would automatically void the remaining guarantees on Carter’s rookie contract, as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports confirms. However, Jones says the club would not try to claw back any money, so the ascending player will likely earn every dollar due to him under his deal. He will be extension-eligible after the 2025 season.
Head coach Nick Sirianni did not indicate whether Carter would receive any internal discipline.
I think that would be incredibly stupid seeing as he missed effectively the whole game already.
A Philly fan sticking up for a terrible person. WOW haven’t seen that before.
I’m not a Philly fan, and I think the ejection was penalty enough. He missed pretty much the entirety of week one.
If you want more, we also need to look harder at what Dak said to him then, too. It wasn’t nothing. A guy doesn’t walk five yards to confront someone over nothing.
My opinion, you just let it go, as is.
I like the new “pretty much” one week suspension. Similar to the “close to 53” man roster size. New rules committee considering “it was basically in” field goals for next year.
Prescott was in his own team’s huddle when Carter approached several yards on the wrong side of the ball. There wasn’t another Eagles player anywhere near him. Carter came over to cause a problem and Prescott stood up to him.
Carter wanted to start something and he did. It was a dumb move. An additional game will send the message that Carter and Nolan Smith (?) clearly didn’t get the first time.
Trash talking adds nothing to the game.
Are you kidding 123 kid he’s a kid 123 kid . You must be kidding.
Jaylen Carter is 24 years old. He cannot be considered a kid in any culture on this planet.
Agreed. Suspending him for another game in a 16 game season is like missing 15% of the season.
I’m not a fan of either team but I don’t think that punishment fits the crime. Yes, it was vile but Missing 2 games for spitting sounds excessive.
Carter was correctly disqualified for spitting AT an opposing player in full view of the umpire.
A fine by itself for a DQ is not sufficient. You get thrown out of a game, you have to sit out the next match. Just like in soccer where if you’re shown the red card you’re suspended for at least the next game.
You’re citing a rule that does not exist.
Wasn’t Jalen Carter involved in a murder case before he got to the NFL. Money > human lives when it comes sports.
link to sportingnews.com
He’s the Draymond Green of the NFL.
It wasn’t a murder case.
street racing that lead to murders. Not a murder case a murder investigation. Better?
Not every death is a murder. No one was going to face murder charges in that case.
I’ll bet the families that lost someone consider it murder. And from a moral perspective it does feel like murder.
No it doesn’t. Reckless endangerment exists. Vehicular manslaughter exists. A bunch of people all doing the same stupid thing and only one of them dying from it happens.
Two people died…but who’s counting? There were only two people driving, not a bunch of people. I get it that it wasn’t premeditated, but put one of your relatives in there and let me know what you think.
Wanting someone to be punished for the grief you’re feeling isn’t the same as objective justice. He could have faced criminal charges, but murder would not have been fitting.
Street racing that led to unfortunate deaths*
Carter didn’t force the other driver to participate
Carter didn’t cause the other driver to lose control and crash
Carter didn’t make the other driver get intoxicated before street racing
Murder: the unlawful, intentional killing of one human being by another, characterized by malice or premeditation
The reason he wasn’t charged with murder is cause there was no malice or no pre plan intent to kill them.
Murder? You got to be kidding
I kinda feel like missing the whole first game and having something stupid you did replayed dozens of times in one of the most watched games of the season is pretty decent punishment.
I don’t think that Dak was trying to spit on Carter, but I could see how Carter could take that poorly. It does not justify his response, of course, but the initial capture looked worse without the accompanying circumstances alongside it. If Carter gets suspended, it will probably be in large part for acting in violation of the NFL’s warning (good sportsmanship is of course a good development for the sport).
Ask ol fat dom what should happen to Stacy Abrahms
Dak should get some kind of small fine simply for principle if there really is a zero tolerance. Spitting toward a group of people on purpose is somewhere between baiting and taunting, if not simply unsportsmanlike by itself. Yes that’s on Carter if he’s dumb enough to get baited, but if you really want none of this on any level then you hit the baiting one too. It’s about Vincent’s little speech and if they really mean absolute zero with any of this stuff.
Eagles play the Chiefs next week so the NFL will probably suspend him for that game. 😏
Carter straight up spit on Dak…
Dak if anything spit Toward Carter but not even close to what Carter did…
Carters was intentional no doubt…
Give him a game or two and let’s move on…
Get back to talking Football Boys!!!
He should be suspended. And Dak should be too.
Love how yes Carter spit on him, Dak help yo instigate and gets let off the hook. I agree his ejection was needed for a vile act this was not a singular unprovoked act. Dak should be fined as well . But either way next time Dallas and Philly meet dak will see Carter so best of luck to ya dak lol
Dak baited a fool who had ventured towards his team’s huddle. He should not be punished because said fool took the bait.
Incredibly a Florida Gator spat on a guy yesterday, smh