Things started off on a wild foot for the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Right after the opening kickoff, quarterback Dak Prescott got into a debate with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter. The back and forth led to Carter spitting on Prescott, a move he was ejected for immediately.
It was quite the beginning to the game and NFL season at large to say the least. Obviously nobody understood what went down between Prescott and Carter specifically and we all knew that comments after the game would shed some light on it.
Here we are.
Dak Prescott said “I probably spit 1,000 times throughout the game” and that he wasn’t aiming for Jalen Carter. Video showed that.
Dak said Carter said, “you trying to spit on me?”
Dak: “What would I need to spit on you for?”
Prescott said Jalen then spit on him. pic.twitter.com/hanpuJNf4B
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 5, 2025
The NBC broadcast showed Dak Prescott spitting himself before Carter did, but Prescott clearly directed his towards the ground. Only Dak can speak to his intent, but it feels pretty fair to conclude that it was part of what NFL players do all the time throughout any given game.
Is it possible that Carter could have taken that as some sort of insult? Sure. As many have pointed out though, Carter was almost in the Cowboys huddle when this whole back and forth went down. If he were in his proper place then no spit ever gets near him. It is wild that we are talking about spit this much.
Whatever the case, this is Dak Prescott’s side of the story. It feels pretty believable.