Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been fined $57,222 by the NFL for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in their Week 1 opener, the NFL announced Tuesday. Carter was subsequently ejected from the game, which Schefter reports will serve as a one-game suspension. Carter’s fine is equivalent to what he makes in a week, and he will not appeal, per his agent.
Carter’s action may have been a response to Prescott spitting on the ground near Eagles players. However, he didn’t spit at or on them. Following the game, Carter would not say if he felt provoked by Prescott. Yet he called his actions “a mistake.”
“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter said, via the Associated Press. “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.”
Speaking to reporters after the game, Prescott said he was surprised by Carter spitting and took issue with the notion that he spat at the Eagles.
Carter being fined is consistent with how the NFL has handled similar incidents in the past, though his ejection serving as a one-game suspension may set a new precedent. This instance was squarely in the spotlight after being captured by NBC cameras during the nationally televised 2025 season opener.
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In 2020, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was fined $12,500 for spitting on Cleveland Browns receiver Jarvis Landry. Peters was not penalized during the game and claimed that he didn’t spit at Landry, but video evidence appeared to show otherwise. Yet Peters was not suspended.
In 2006, Washington safety Sean Taylor was fined $17,000 for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman in a playoff game. Taylor was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected from the game. Pittman was not penalized for retaliating by slapping Taylor in the helmet, presumably because of the instigating incident.
The following season, Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens was fined $35,000 for spitting in the face of Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. He was not ejected from the game because officials did not see the incident at the time. Owens also was not suspended, though he was fined twice as much as Taylor.
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Going back nearly 30 years to one of the more memorable spitting incidents in NFL history, Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski was fined $7,500 for spitting in the face of San Francisco 49ers receiver J.J. Stokes. He also received a “strongly worded letter” from the NFL.
