Jalen Carter Was Not the Quickest Ejection In NFL History

Not a great move by Carter, but this was not the quickest ejection of a player in NFL history. In a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns on November 14, 2004, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter and Browns running back William Green were both kicked out of a game between the two teams in Cleveland.

Bad feelings between the two AFC North rivals ran hot in the week leading up to the game, especially when Cleveland defensive tackle Gerard Warren said that he would "go after" rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's head. The NFL subsequently warned Warren that any unnecessary roughness could result in a suspension, but it wasn't Warren that referee Jeff Triplette had to worry about.

"You could see something coming," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said postgame. "Joey came over there and they got into it. Their faces were real close and spit was flying. The next thing you know, he [Green] tried to head-butt Joey. Then, punches were thrown."

Before the game started, Porter and Warren were throwing punches, and Porter's punch that landed bloodied Green's lower lip. Both players were ejected, and subsequently fined $10,000 each. Cleveland fullback Terrelle Smith, who Ward accused of starting the fight in the first place, was not ejected, though he was also fined $10,000 after the fact.

Porter and Green apologized to each other the day after the 24-10 Steelers win, and apparently, all was well between the two players subject to the quickest ejections in NFL history. Perhaps Carter should get on the phone to Prescott quickly if he wants to avoid more stern punishment.

An interesting note from that game: When Porter was ejected, the Steelers put a little-known undrafted backup in to replace him, and that player got his first start and his first sack on the same day. That little-known undrafted backup was James Harrison, who went on to tally 80.5 sacks tor the Steelers in a career that kept him in Pittsburgh through the 2017 season.