The NFL season got off to the strangest possible start on Thursday night after Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before a single play from scrimmage had occurred. Carter's untimely move made him the game's main character for several hours, though the story changed a little bit when a different angle of the incident suggests that Prescott may have sparked the whole thing with his own bit of spitting.
Because Philadelphia won, the saliva-based moment didn't cost a Super Bowl contender a key divisional game. Still, in addition to potential punishment from the NFL, Carter is going to have a hard time living it down.
Reacting to the event on Friday, Dan Le Batard wondered whether Carter will, in fact, forever be known for spitting on Dak.
Is Jalen Carter forever going to be known for spitting on Dak? pic.twitter.com/GEg35IQkJd
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) September 5, 2025
If that sounds prisoner of the moment, consider the example of Roberto Alomar that Le Batard cites. The Hall of Fame second baseman had a decorated career that included two World Series championships and yet it's tough to remember him independently of the moment he spit on an umpire's face in 1996.
Carter is an exceptional player and has already won a Super Bowl. There's no telling how great his own career will turn out to be. But when you spit on Dak Prescott—even after potential provocation—that's just something people are going to remember. Throw in the fact it happened on opening night in the very first minute or so of the game and, well, that's going to have staying power.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Le Batard Wonders If Jalen Carter Will Always Be Known for Spitting Incident.
