Carter sorry for spitting on Prescott: 'A mistake'

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles standout defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected from Thursday night's 24-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys before the first play from scrimmage.

After the opening kickoff, there was an injury delay for Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren, who remained on the ground for several minutes. During that time, Carter and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott got face-to-face, and Carter spit on Prescott as the two began to separate.

Later video showed Prescott spitting in the direction of Carter and the Eagles' defense before Carter spit on him.

Carter apologized after the game.

"It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won't happen again," he said. "I feel bad for just my teammates and fans out there. I'm doing it for them. I'm doing it for my family, also. But the fans, they showed the most love."

Prescott characterized the situation as a misunderstanding that escalated, saying he likely spits "a thousand times throughout the game."

"I was right here by the two linemen and I guess I needed to spit and I wasn't going spit on my linemen and I just spit ahead," Prescott said. "I would say he was [about 10 feet away] and goes, 'Are you trying to spit on me?' At that point I felt like he was insulting me. I wouldn't spit on somebody. ... I stepped through [and] I actually said words like, 'The hell -- excuse me, but probably even more colorful -- what would I need to spit on you for?' And he just spit on me in that moment. It was more of a surprise than anything."

After Carter spit, Prescott quickly motioned to a nearby official, who threw the flag and ejected Carter for unsportsmanlike conduct six seconds into the NFL season opener. Fans booed as Carter walked off slowly, holding his helmet behind his back.

"One of the officials observed [Carter] spitting on an opponent," referee Shawn Smith told a pool reporter. "It's a disqualifiable foul in the game. It's a non-football act."

The Eagles were given a 15-yard penalty, and the Cowboys scored a touchdown on their six-play opening drive, capped by a 1-yard rush by Javonte Williams.

Carter, 24, is considered one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He had 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss to help lead the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL last season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.