Jalen Carter made headlines on Thursday - for the wrong reasons. However, he may have had justification for his actions.Right after kickoff for the Kickoff Game, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle spat on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. He was ejected from the game, while his team was given a 15-yard penalty.Later in the night, however, NBC released previously unseen footage of Prescott spitting at Eagles players while they were huddling. It was after this point that Carter spat back on him:When asked about the decision to eject Carter, referee Shawn Smith bluntly 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!"History shows Jalen Carter will likely not be suspended for spitting on Dak PrescottThose expecting a damning punishment for Jalen Carter may want to temper their expectations, however, as USA Today’s Tom Viera explains.Back in 2020, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was assigned to cover Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry. He spat on his assignment, 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 also came away with a $35,000 fine, largely because the officials had not seen the incident. Late Washington safety Sean Taylor also came away with just $17,000 in salary lost for a similar incident.NBC’s Mike Florio, however, sees Carter being 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 would win the game 24-20 after CeeDee Lamb ended a streak of five straight punts after a lightning delay with a dropped pass.