NFL says Jalen Carter ejection serves as suspension for spitting
Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter will not miss any future games for spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The NFL announced Tuesday that since Carter was ejected from last week’s season opener without participating in a single play, the league will consider the second-year defensive tackle to have already served a one-game suspension.
This is an important distinction by the NFL, which establishes a precedent and sends a message to players that spitting on an opponent will result in a one-game suspension.
Carter will forfeit his Week 1 game check worth $57,222, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but will be available to play in the Eagles’ Week 2 Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL Players Association also notified the league that Carter has waived his right to appeal the punishment.
The Eagles and Carter’s agent Drew Rosenhaus also worked on an agreement that the team will not use the suspension to void guarantees in Carter’s contract or seek signing bonus payment forfeiture.
After the opening kickoff Thursday, there was an injury delay for Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren, who remained on the ground for several minutes. During that time, Carter and Prescott got face-to-face, and Carter spit on Prescott as the two began to separate.
Carter apologized after Philadelphia’s season-opening victory, saying it was “a mistake that happened on my side, and it just won’t happen again.” The infraction came moments after the franchise’s second Super Bowl banner was raised.
As the NFL considered appropriate punishment for Carter, many around the league recalled a message delivered earlier this year at the league meetings by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, who told head coaches, general managers and executives that sportsmanship posed one of the biggest threats to the league’s brand.
During that meeting, Vincent warned coaches, GMs and executives that there would be “zero tolerance for acts that demean the game” and that the league would come down hard on any violators, a source told Schefter.
The Eagles could impose their own discipline on Carter, but coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that any action would be kept in-house.
“I’m going to keep everything that I do with him private, regardless of if you see it on Sunday or not,” Sirianni said. “Everything, every conversation, whether it’s a personal conversation, a disciplinary thing, all those things will always be handled privately. I just think that’s the way to go about doing team business and when you’re doing things with a football team.”
ESPN’s Tim McManus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.