It was supposed to be the start of a new season, a fresh chapter for Jalen Carter — the Eagles’ defensive dynamo, the Pro Bowler who’d spent the summer laser-focused on redemption. But before the first defensive snap, before a single tackle or sack, Carter’s night was over in a flash. Six seconds into the game, the stadium erupted in disbelief: Carter was being escorted off the field by none other than “Big Dom” DiSandro, the Eagles’ legendary chief of security, after a jaw-dropping exchange with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

The drama began innocently enough. Trainers were tending to an Eagles player after the opening kickoff, and Carter, restless and fired up, wandered toward the Cowboys sideline. That’s when the cameras caught the first spark: Carter and Prescott, face-to-face, voices raised. Suddenly, Carter appeared to spit directly onto Prescott’s chest. The ref’s whistle shrieked, flags flew, and the stadium gasped. “Unsportsmanlike conduct!” the official declared, his voice echoing through Lincoln Financial Field. Carter was out — ejected before he’d even played a down.

But the story didn’t end there. Within minutes, social media was ablaze. “Did you see what Dak did first?” tweeted @EaglesFanatic. “Check the tape!” demanded @CowboysHater. And then, like clockwork, the footage surfaced: Prescott, moments earlier, spitting on the turf in the direction of the Eagles’ defensive huddle. Slow-motion replays showed Carter’s eyes narrowing, his jaw set. Was it a provocation? An accident? Or something more sinister?

“He spit at us first!” Carter reportedly shouted as Big Dom marched him off the field, the crowd roaring its approval or disgust, depending on their colors. Prescott, meanwhile, shrugged off the incident on the sideline, but the tension lingered. “We play hard,” he told a sideline reporter, “but I respect every man out here.” Carter’s teammates were less diplomatic. “You disrespect us, we’ll answer,” muttered one lineman, helmet still on.

The NFL world couldn’t look away. “This is wild,” posted @GridironGossip. “Never seen a star ejected that fast.” The debate raged: Was Carter’s reaction justified, or did he cross a line? “Prescott started it,” argued @PhillyStrong. “But Carter finished it — and paid the price,” countered @DallasDiehard.

Jalen Carter’s journey to this moment had been anything but ordinary. Drafted ninth overall out of Georgia, he’d quickly become the heart of Philly’s defense, earning Pro Bowl honors last season with 4½ sacks and 42 tackles. Tonight, though, his fire burned a little too hot. “I’m not backing down,” Carter was overheard telling teammates in the tunnel, voice shaking with adrenaline. “You spit at me, I’ll spit back.”

But as the footage ricocheted around the internet, one thing was clear: Carter’s fate now rested in the hands of NFL officials. Would the league see Prescott’s initial spit as a hostile act? Or would Carter’s retaliation overshadow everything else? “The NFL better get this right,” insisted @SportsJustice. “If they let Prescott off, Philly will riot.”

For now, all anyone can do is wait and watch. Carter’s season — and maybe his reputation — hangs in the balance. But one thing is certain: in the cutthroat world of the NFL, respect is earned, not given. And tonight, Jalen Carter proved he’s willing to fight for his — even if it means getting ejected before the game really begins.

As one fan summed it up: “This isn’t just football. This is war.”