The NFL announced on Tuesday Jalen Carter's punishment for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on opening night. The league determined that Carter's early ejection counted as a one-game suspension and fined him $57,222 for the incident.

Coach Nick Sirianni said that Philadelphia would handle any discipline in private so it will be very easy to tell whether the team suspended Carter based on his presence or absence on the field this Sunday in a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs.

One person who vehemently disagreed with the punishment—or perceived lack thereof—is ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. While Smith doesn't think Carter needs a prolonged suspension, he believes this is an incredibly light penalty for such a "heinous, disgusting act."

"To spit on another person. I mean, it doesn't get much more disrespectful than that," said Smith before pointing out that Carter didn't just spit on any random player, but the star quarterback of the most popular franchise in the league right in front of an official on national television.

"The epitome of stupidity. There's no way around it. Everywhere you look is just flagrant stupidity. I'm not saying that the guy should be suspended for multiple games or anything like that, but you showed up on the field. You were in uniform. You warmed up. The reigning defending Super Bowl champions came out through all the smoke and all of that stuff for the introductions and everything else. As far as I'm concerned it's your damn fault you didn't play the game, but you didn't miss it either. You were there. Your a-- need to be home."

Smith also mentioned an incident involving Florida defensive tackle Brendon Bett who over the weekend spit on a USF player in a crucial moment, suggesting that he had mimicked what he saw Carter do.

"We're talking about role models right," Smith asked. "We're talking about making sure the behavior ain't emulated, right? We're talking about making sure that you understand the severe ramifcations that come with such a heinous, disgusting act like spitting on somebody, right? Guess what? Another game ain't no problem to suspend that guy. And that man from Florida? He should be suspended multiple games too."

Perhaps the Eagles and Gators could both take a lesson from Jets' coach Aaron Glenn when it comes to sending a message.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Rips NFL Over Soft Reaction to Jalen Carter Spitting Incident.