Jalen Carter is facing a $57,222 fine after spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott seconds into the NFL's season opener on Thursday night.
A source close to the matter shared that the defensive tackle nearly avoided suspension for the incident, which displayed a lack of sportsmanship.
Carter was dismissed from Philadelphia's 24-20 victory over Dallas; however, he will return to the field when the Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch on Sunday, unless the team imposes its own suspension.
"I'm going to keep everything that I do with him private, regardless of if you see it on Sunday or not," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Monday about his best defensive player.
Players have been fined for spitting on opponents in the past, but there doesn't appear to be a case where anyone was suspended for doing it.
In the season opener, Prescott and Carter exchanged fiery words, 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 ejected 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."
Prescott further 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 accelerated with Eagles' star ended up spitting on him.
Moreover, Jalen Carter has a history of on-field conduct over his first two seasons, with the 24-year-old often displaying a pattern of poor discipline.
The Eagles drafted Carter in 2023 with the ninth overall pick because several teams passed him up due to his role in a fatal car crash in college that killed a teammate, offensive lineman Devin Willock, and a Georgia recruiting staffer, Chandler LeCroy.
Jalen Carter received one year of probation and was fined $1,000 after pleading no contest to misdemeanour charges of reckless driving and racing related to the wreck.