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Spitting image: What the blunder by Philadelphia Eagles' Carter can teach us about teams

Sep 5, 2025

2 min

Kyle Emich
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Social media caught fire when Philadelphia Eagles' defensive tackle Jalen Carter got tossed for spitting on Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap of this year's NFL season opener. While the impact on the game was obvious, what unfolded on the field of play has lessons for the workplace and the boardroom. The University of Delaware's Kyle Emich can talk about the parallels between the two worlds when individuals let their teams down.


Emich, a professor of management in UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics, said emotional events occur all the time in the workplace, especially in board rooms, where the atmosphere is often competitive. "Emotion regulation is a key part of harnessing motivation appropriately in a competitive context," Emich said.


• Early on, the Cowboys were able to regulate their emotions to tap into the incident when they roared out to several seamless offensive drives.


• Emich says the Eagles' young, inexperienced and not-yet-gelled defensive unit was unable to regulate their emotions and preserve their confidence (collective efficacy) after the incident. They were unable to stop Dallas in the first half.


• Carter's act could also have served as an emotion regulation cue for both teams. The Eagles defense was unable to regulate and maintain stability, leading to a number of costly penalties. But the Cowboys seemed to have had the same issue when they retaliated with personal fouls of their own.


•  In the end, the Eagles were able to come together under the leadership of their coach, Nick Sirianni, and quarterback, Jalen Hurts, to secure a 24-20 victory.


To connect with Emich for an interview, visit his profile page and click on the "contact" button.

Connect with:
Kyle Emich

Kyle Emich

Associate Professor, Management

Prof. Emich's research explores the role of individual attributes in team dynamics and other collective environments.

Cognitive ProcessingLeadershipOrganizational BehaviorTeam DynamicsGroup Dynamics
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