Eagles' Jalen Carter apologizes following ejection for spitting on Cowboys' Dak Prescott

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia defensive tackle Jalen Carter apologized after he was ejected for spitting on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott moments after the Eagles' pregame Super Bowl championship celebration.

Carter was tossed for for unsportsmanlike conduct six seconds into Philadelphia's 24-20 victory in the lightning-delayed NFL season opener that ended early Friday. The Eagles were hit with a 15-yard penalty before the first snap from scrimmage, and the Cowboys scored on the opening drive on Javonte Williams' 1-yard touchdown run.

“It was more of a surprise than anything,” Prescott said. “The refs obviously saw it. Threw the flag. I was like, `Hell yeah! We get 15 yards to start the game off.′ Didn’t realize he was getting ejected. Unfortunate that he did. Hell of a player.”

Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott's jersey before backing away. Prescott quickly motioned to a nearby official who threw the flag and sent Carter packing. Fans booed as Carter walked off slowly, holding his helmet in his hands behind his back.

Carter apologized after the game.

“It was a mistake that happened on my side. It won’t happen again,” Carter 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 said he simply spit straight ahead as he usually would, only for the saliva to land in the area near Carter, which raised the ire of the defenseman.

Prescott said Carter asked, “You trying to spit on me?”

“He was insulting me,” Prescott said. “I wouldn’t spit on somebody. I’m definitely not trying to spit on you. We’re about to play a game.”

Carter could be headed toward a hefty financial penalty, if not worse, in the first major test of the NFL’s increased emphasis this season on sportsmanship.

“One of the officials observed him 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 took Carter out of Georgia with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

The 24-year-old Carter has quickly blossomed into one of the top defensive lineman and played a key role in helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl last season.

“I wanted to be out there with the guys so bad,” Carter said.

Just this week, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised the edge Carter brought to the unit.

“I don’t know that nastiness is the right word,” Fangio said. “I just think he has to play with the right mindset to reach his potential, or come close to reaching his potential. He’s just got to be on top of the details, play with great effort, and be focused.”

He couldn't stay focused long enough in the opener to take a defensive snap.

Carter's stock in the 2023 draft slid because of his role in a fatal car crash in college that killed a teammate, offensive lineman Devin Willock, and a Georgia recruiting staffer, Chandler LeCroy.

Carter was given one year of probation and fined $1,000 after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing related to the wreck.

The Eagles felt they had the right veteran leadership and the professional kind of environment that could help him thrive and put off-field issues behind him.

Carter still struggled with on-field conduct over his first two seasons.

He was whistled for three unnecessary roughness penalties last season and had seven total penalties. Carter was also benched to start a game in a disciplinary move against Atlanta. He was then fined more than $17,000 for an open-handed blow against the Washington Commaners in the NFC championship game.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said during training camp last month that Carter had tried to move beyond his conduct as he developed into a force for the champs.

“Jalen’s shown how dominating he can be as a player,” Roseman said. “When you have that guy and when defensive offensive linemen are sliding to that guy, it creates opportunities for the guys playing next to him. You have to count for him. If you’re going to block him one on one, he’s got a great chance to win those matchups. I mean, he’s that kind of player and he’s a special player.”

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Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) walks off the field after being disqualified for unsportsman like conduct before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) walks off the field after being disqualified for unsportsman like conduct before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott warms up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter walks off the field after being disqualified for unsportsman like conduct before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state appeals court is being asked to dismiss felony voter misconduct charges against an Alaska resident born in American Samoa, one of numerous cases that have drawn attention to the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory.

In arguments Thursday, attorneys for Tupe Smith plan to ask the Alaska Court of Appeals in Anchorage to reverse a lower court's decision that let stand the indictment brought against her. Her supporters say she made an innocent mistake that does not merit charges, but the state contends Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship.

Prosecutors also have brought charges against 10 other people from American Samoa in the small Alaska community of Whittier, including Smith’s husband and her mother-in-law. American Samoa is the only U.S. territory where residents are not automatically granted citizenship by being born on American soil and instead are considered U.S. nationals. Paths to citizenship exist, such as naturalization, though that process can be expensive and cumbersome.

American Samoans can serve in the military, obtain U.S. passports and vote in elections in American Samoa, but they cannot hold public office in the U.S. or participate in most U.S. elections.

About 25 people gathered on a snowy street outside the courthouse before Thursday's hearing to support Smith. One woman, Fran Seager of Palmer, held a sign that said, “Support our Samoans. They are US nationals.”

Smith's husband, Michael Pese, thanked the American Samoa community in the Anchorage area. “If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be strong enough to face this head on,” he said.

State Sen. Forrest Dunbar, a Democrat who attended the rally, said the Alaska Department of Law has limited resources.

“We should be going after people who are genuine criminals, who are violent criminals, or at least have the intent to deceive,” he said. “I do not think it is a good use of our limited state resources to go after these hardworking, taxpaying Alaskans who are not criminals.”

Smith was arrested after winning election to a regional school board in 2023. She said she relied on erroneous information from local election officials when she identified herself as a U.S. citizen on voter registration forms.

In a court filing in 2024, one of her previous attorneys said that when Smith answered questions from the Alaska state trooper who arrested her, she said she was aware that she could not vote in presidential elections but was “unaware of any other restrictions on her ability to vote.”

Smith said she marks herself as a U.S. national on paperwork. But when there was no such option on voter registration forms, she was told by city representatives that it was appropriate to mark U.S. citizen, according to the filing.

Smith “exercised what she believed was her right to vote in a local election. She did so without any intent to mislead or deceive anyone,” her current attorneys said in a filing in September. “Her belief that U.S. nationals may vote in local elections, which was supported by advice from City of Whittier election officials, was simply mistaken.”

The state has said Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship. Prosecutors pointed to the language on the voter application forms she filled out in 2020 and 2022, which explicitly said that if the applicant was not at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, “do not complete this form, as you are not eligible to vote.”

The counts Smith was indicted on “did not have anything to do with her belief in her ability to vote in certain elections; rather they concerned the straightforward question of whether or not Smith intentionally and falsely swore she was a United States citizen,” Kayla Doyle, an assistant attorney general, said in court filings last year.

One of Smith's attorneys, Neil Weare, co-founder of the Washington-based Right to Democracy Project, said by email last week that if the appeals court lets stand the indictment, Alaska will be “the only state to our knowledge with such a low bar for felony voter fraud.”

Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

Michael Pese and his wife, Tupe Smith, stand outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Michael Pese, left, his wife, Tupe Smith, and their son Maximus pose for a photo outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

FILE - Tupe Smith poses for a photo outside the school in Whittier, Alaska, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)