Jason Kelce was one of the first to react to Jalen Carter's viral spit incident with Dak Prescott in the Eagles' win over the Cowboys in Week 1. Kelce's response at the time was very NSFW, but the ex-Philly center has since issued a more serious message to Carter for what Kelce believed was a "dumb" and short-sighted move.
Carter was ejected from Thursday night's season-opener for spitting at Prescott before he even played a single snap. The Eagles defensive tackle received a hefty fine from the NFL and a one-game suspension, which he retroactively served.
On the latest episode of New Heights, Kelce went on a fiery rant scolding Carter for making an inexcusable mistake to start the 2025 season.
"I'm just like, 'Why the f---? What are we doing?'" Jason said, describing his initial reaction to the incident. "It was just a very frustrating moment, not only because [Carter's] one of our best players, but it's just a really awful thing to be out there. It's an awful thing to be a part of as a fanbase, as an organization.
"[Carter] has to be smarter than this, he has to be better than this. ... He has a chance to be one of the best defensive linemen in this era of football. That's how good this kid can be. That's how dominant he has been to this point. Don't let this dumb behavior jeopardize the career and person and legacy you can build. Especially in this city. ... He's taken accountability—now, moving forward, we need you to be better than that, Jalen. And you need to be better than that for yourself."
Kelce, like many other NFL fans, believed that the Eagles defender should have controlled his emotions better, even if Prescott spit at Carter first. Rather than retaliate in an immature way, Carter could have used the incident as motivation to teach Prescott and the Cowboys a lesson on the field.
"You got four quarters now to have Dak spitting towards you on your mind, to take that out on Tyler Booker," continued Kelce. "That's the beautiful thing about football, you don't need to do that back. You got four quarters to do something back to this dude."
Hopefully, Carter learns from this and can keep himself in check next time. The Eagles will need the best version of him in their ambitious Super Bowl title defense this year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jason Kelce Rips Jalen Carter for ‘Dumb’ Spit Incident in Eagles-Cowboys Game.