Jalen Carter made headlines on Thursday for the wrong reasons. Right after the kickoff for the season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, the defensive tackle spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter was ejected from the game and his team was given a 15-yard penalty.Later in the night, NBC released footage that showed Prescott spitting in the direction of the Eagles players while they were huddling.When asked about the decision to eject Carter, referee Shawn Smith told Zach Berman:“One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent. It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”Zach Berman @ZBermLINKReferee Shawn Smith on Jalen Carter's ejection... On what he observed: “One of the officials observed him spitting on an opponent.” On why it raised to the level of disqualification: “It’s a disqualifiable foul in the game. It’s a non-football act.”Meanwhile, former Super Bowl-winning safety Devin McCourty had some strong words about the incident during the halftime show:"We talked about it before the game: you can't be selfish. This is about the team. That was selfish, disrespectful. You cannot do that!"Jalen Carter not the first player to spit on an opponent during a gameBack in 2020, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was assigned to cover Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Peters spat on Landry, but escaped with only a fine.In a Cowboys-related example, Terrell Owens spat on DeAngelo Hall, then playing cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons, in 2006. He received a $35,000 fine, largely because the officials had not seen the incident. Late Washington safety Sean Taylor also escaped with a $17,000 fine for a similar incident.NBC’s Mike Florio, however, believes Carter could be suspended, potentially for more than a game, should he fail to properly show remorse for his actions:“For Carter to display the ultimate disrespect to an opponent before the first game of the season has even really begun, the league may decide that something more than an ejection is needed to send the right message to Carter — and to the rest of the league.”The Eagles won the game 24-20 after CeeDee Lamb dropped a pass in the closing stages that could have given the Cowboys a late lead.