Spitting is just wrong, but it keeps happening

Inter Miami's Luis Suarez further damaged his reputation. Jalen Carter of the Philadelphia Eagles cost himself the chance to play in a season-opening game. Florida's Brendan Bett gave South Florida a 15-yard gift on its drive that decided its win over the Gators.

Their transgression: spitting.

In the span of seven days from Sept 1 through this past Saturday, there were three high-profile spitting incidents in sports. They were immediately condemned, including by those close to the offending parties, such as the Florida coach who called such behavior "unacceptable". The reviled responses show that there are limits to allowable aggressions, even in the most heated moments of competition.

"There are a lot of written and unwritten rules about how you interact with others," said Peter Valentin, the chair of the forensic science department at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. "And, in the sports world, you can have two opponents vie for supremacy, and they go at each other very, very aggressively, but it's done with a measure of respect. The idea of spitting on your opponent communicates disrespect. And I would be shocked if that wasn't the intent of that act, to just demonstrate disdain for your opponent."

Suarez, who on three previous occasions has been sanctioned for biting opponents, spat on a member of the Seattle Sounders' staff after Inter Miami's 3-0 loss in the Leagues Cup final. Carter spat — or spat back, depending on perspective — at Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott before the first play from scrimmage in the first NFL game of the regular season Thursday night. Bett spat at a South Florida player, and those 15 penalty yards helped the Bulls get a chipshot field goal to win 18-16 on the final play of the game.

Florida coach Billy Napier called Bett's action "unacceptable" on Saturday night, and didn't back down from that stance when addressing it again Monday. Napier said that Bett will reach out to the South Florida player to apologize and will issue a public apology.

Bett will face some internal disciplinary action, but Napier did not say if he will be suspended for this week's game at No 3 LSU.

"He made a mistake and he compromised the team," Napier said Monday. "He made a selfish decision. He misrepresented our fans, our alumni and the university. And when a young man comes into your office and that's his immediate concern, how he didn't represent this place the right way, I think that's a good indication of his attitude towards it."

Around the NFL this week, the reactions to spitting were clear.

"That's just not professional," Arizona offensive lineman Paris Johnson said of Carter's incident.

"You can't do that," Green Bay defensive lineman Rashan Gary said.

"You don't want to see anyone getting spat on," Tennessee offensive lineman Lloyd Cushenberry III said.

Suarez got a six-game suspension from future Leagues Cup matches and will miss the next three Major League Soccer matches as well, which will hurt the playoff push for Lionel Messi and his squad. Carter got kicked out of the Eagles game against the Dallas Cowboys, with Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni saying Monday that any possible team discipline levied against him would remain private. Bett was ejected for what became the final seven plays of the Florida vs South Florida game.

"It was a mistake that happened on my side," Carter said. " (It) just won't happen again."

Replays later revealed that Prescott spat first, but only in the general direction of the Eagles' defense and not onto an opposing player. Carter, in response, spat on Prescott.

"I guess I needed to spit," Prescott said. "I wasn't going to spit on my linemen. I just spat ahead. I don't wish for anybody to get (thrown) out of the game. I'm sure he probably regrets that to some extent. I'm pretty sure he knows I didn't try to spit on him, or wasn't even aiming to spit on him."

Players around the league could easily see how that sort of back-and-forth was going to escalate quickly.

"You've got to fight me at that point, spitting on another player," Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo said. "If you spit at his feet, I guess it's just like talking. But spitting on another player like that is unacceptable."

Saliva is critical for its role in promoting digestion, assisting with dental health, carrying antibodies and more, but public health officials — in lessons that were hammered home during the pandemic that started in 2020 — also point out that saliva can carry and transmit diseases, everything from colds, the 'flu, the Epstein-Barr virus, strep, some types of hepatitis and even herpes.

It's also, well, icky.

In the way spitting occurred in and after those three games last week, it was simply considered degrading.

And there are few things that seem to trigger stronger reactions in sports than when someone intentionally spits on another person.

"It's just a new level of disrespect, not only for your opponent, but for the game itself," Valentin said. "I understand that the way that people behave around each other is very culturally significant. And you can imagine the culture in a league. The unwritten rules are important. Spitting has never been part of the culture. I am certain of that."

Agencies Via Xinhua