Jalen Carter ejection: Ryan Clark calls Eagles DT a 'low-level human' after spitting on Dak Prescott

Everyone tuned in last night for the start of the season in the NFL got to see Jalen Carter choose to spit on Dak Prescott. ESPN’s Ryan Clark said that was also a choice by him to put who he was on display, and in a way that has to be addressed by someone.

Reacting to the spitting incident on ‘Get Up’ on Friday, Clark didn’t hold back in criticizing Carter for that act that got him ejected at the opening of opening night. Not only was it a decision that could have cost the Philadelphia Eagles the game potentially, but it was a decision that reflected as poorly as it could have on Carter and his character.

“When Jalen Carter, who is one of the best players in the entire NFL, shows that lack of respect for the game, shows that lack of an ability to make good decisions early on in the game? That is such a selfish play,” Clark said. “Not only is it freakin’ disgusting, right? Not only do you show what a low-level human you are in that moment, but you let the entire team down.

“Everything that the Philadelphia Eagles do up front centers around Jalen Carter. When we’re looking at the runs of Javonte Williams, when you see Miles Sanders go for 49 – those are plays where you immediately think to yourself, ‘Where is Jalen Carter?’ And, you know where he was? He was at the casino down the street, probably watching the game, because Big Dom had to walk him into the locker room. You cannot do that.”

What’s even worse is that, as has been mentioned several times since the incident, the NFL has emphasized sportsmanship coming into this season. That makes this look that much more foul in the league’s eyes.

However, Clark said no one in the league could have anticipated that any player would do something as nasty as this with that already in mind. Even more so with it being before the first play of the year was even snapped, because they surely didn’t feel the need for it to have to be addressed.

“I don’t care how many phone calls you ruin, how many Zooms. Spitting never comes up because it’s something you do not expect to happen. This is something that is not just about football. This is about personal respect. This is about humanity. You don’t believe that you’re going to have players on the field that will disrespect others in this manner,” Clark later added. “No matter what calls you get on, what videos you show, you don’t feel like you have to show this to grown adult professional men to be able to know how to handle whether it’s confrontations, arguments, disagreements on the football field.”

With that, Clark says someone needs to make an example of Carter, if one hasn’t been made of him already, coming out of last night’s win over the Cowboys. The NFL is likely to have something more to say on the matter, but he didn’t mind at all if it was Nick Sirianni and the Eagles who did so as well.

“If you’re Nick Sirianni, you have to make an example out of him,” Clark said. “That’s one of those times that you walk in the meeting and you put the film on, and you know how you do it – Bill Belichick would do this. He’d put the film on, then he’d cut it off and he’d only show Jalen Carter spitting on Dak Prescott and you got to cuss him out, you got to tell him how big of a mistake this is, you got to tell him how he let the entire team down and, if you continue to do this, you’ll never be the player you’re supposed to be, and certainly not the man.”