Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Carter apologised after he was dismissed for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott moments after the Eagles' pregame Super Bowl championship celebration.
Carter was tossed for unsportsmanlike conduct six seconds into Philadelphia's 24-20 victory in the lightning-delayed NFL season opener that ended early Friday.
The Eagles were hit with a 15-yard penalty before the game even began, and the Cowboys scored a touchdown on their first drive with Javonte Williams running the ball one yard into the end zone.
"It was more of a surprise than anything," Prescott said. "The refs obviously saw it. Threw the flag. I was like, 'Hell yeah! We get 15 yards to start the game off.'"
Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and the Eagles player spat on Prescott's jersey before backing away.
The 32-year-old quickly reported the incident to a nearby official who removed Carter. Fans booed as Carter walked off slowly, holding his helmet in his hands behind his back.
Following the match, Carter apologised about the misconduct, noting, "It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won't happen again."
Prior to the incident, Prescott explained that he simply spat straight ahead as he usually would, only for the saliva to land in the area near Carter, which angered the defenseman.
Prescott said Carter asked, "You trying to spit on me?," adding that the player was insulting him, and the misunderstanding prompted him to spit on him.
Moreover, Jalen Carter still struggled with on-field conduct over his first two seasons.
He was whistled for three unnecessary roughness penalties last season and had seven total penalties.
Carter was also benched to start a game in a disciplinary move against Atlanta. He was then fined more than $17,000 for an open-handed blow against the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
