Two division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, kicked off the NFL season last Thursday; however, this kickoff was far from smooth.
Even from the opening snap, the game was nothing short of chaotic. Early injuries, dropped passes in the final minutes, and even a spitting incident all contributed to one of the most memorable season openers of the past few years.
The Eagles are aiming to repeat as Super Bowl champions, and Dallas is looking to prove themselves as a legitimate playoff team after losing their top Defensive End, Micah Parsons, this offseason. Parsons was traded to the Green Bay packers.
With these facts in mind, it’s no surprise that the game became hectic even on the opening drive.
Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren suffered a knee injury on the first play of the game, tearing his patellar tendon and effectively ending his season before it even started. Fans all around the country are showing their support for the injured athlete.
Zeke Jackson, a defensive lineman at Williston Northampton School and Calgary, AB native, expresses sympathy for the young NFL player.
“That sucks, that’s brutal.”, Jackson said. “I mean, getting injured on a play obviously sucks but the first drive of the first game, that’s terrible.”
Shortly after VanSumeren’s injury, viewers witness one of the purest forms of disrespect you’ll find in a football game. Jalen Carter, the Eagles starting defensive tackle, spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and ended up getting ejected only six seconds into the game.
While his actions were disgraceful, it made for a great entertainment source for its viewers, especially Williston students.
Cal Hoyt, a varsity hockey player and golfer from Hatfield, Mass., loves watching football and found the incident to be both funny and disrespectful.
“I thought it was hilarious,” Hoyt said. “I mean, nothing like that belongs in the game of football, but it creates some good buzz around the game, which is kind of cool.”
Other fans didn’t take Carter’s actions as lightly as Hoyt did.
Camden Tabb, a senior from Wolverham, Mass., believed that some form of repercussions should be in order.
“I thought it was a pretty good game, but there were some things that happened that just showed bad sportsmanship.” Tabb stated. “Jalen carter needs to be punished for what he did.”
Carter was not suspended, but he received a $57k fine for his actions.
Many NFL analysts were repulsed by his behavior. Ryan Clark, a former NFL player and current analyst, reprimanded Carter for his actions.
“Not only is it freaking disgusting, not only do you show what a low-level human you are in that moment, but you let the entire team down,” said Clark when discussing the situation.
This is the first spitting incident the NFL has seen since 2020, when Marcus Peters was fined $12.5k for spitting on Jarvis Landry.
The game was very competitive. The score stayed within a touchdown for the majority of the game, and the Cowboys almost came back to win it. However, their star receiver Ceedee Lamb ended up dropping a crucial pass in the last minute of play, squashing any hope Dallas had at a comeback.
To say that the NFL season started off exciting is an understatement, but it came at the cost of injuries, egos, and even players’ dignities.
