The television cameras captured the action that got Jalen Carter ejected.
NBC's broadcast showed the Philadelphia Eagles' star spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. It earned Carter a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, along with disqualification from the game.
But what led to that? There were no visuals shown of that.
Cowboys beat reporter Nick Harris, of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, provided more insight late Thursday night on X:
"According to two people with knowledge of the ordeal, Dak Prescott spit on the ground in the general vicinity of the Eagles defensive huddle. Carter thought it was hostile. While Prescott was explaining it wasn’t, Carter spit back."
That certainly seems like important context.
One action doesn't justify another.
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But it makes sense that something had upset Carter before he took matters into his own saliva.
It was simple to assume that Prescott had just said something rude to Carter.
But if Carter had first felt that Prescott was spitting toward him, that would explain what happened even better.
No, it doesn't make it OK to have done that. But it does provide context.
It'll be interesting to see if more NBC footage eventually emerges, or if Carter or Prescott share their feelings and recollections after the game. There's more still to come here for sure.
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