DeSean Jackson has come under scrutiny for his controversial Instagram post on July 6th, 2020. Jackson posted a picture on his story for his 1.4 million followers, which featured quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler regarding his view on white Jewish people.
The message contained hateful language, claiming that white Jews are “blackmailing America,” Jews will “extort America,” Jews have a plan for “world domination,” Jews are responsible for the mistreatment and lynchings of African-Americans, and that Jews are not entitled to Israel.
DeSean Jackson Controversial Remarks Have His Status in Question
There is absolutely no reason to quote Adolf Hitler in any circumstance, especially regarding his radical, hateful view of Jewish people. Adolf Hitler tragically formulated a plan to eliminate Judaism from Europe, extinguishing 6 million innocent Jewish people from existence. DeSean Jackson was absolutely careless with posting this hurtful message.
Jackson was also posting messages from Louis Farrakhan, a well-known radical anti-Semite who has a public agenda against Judaism. Regardless of his intentions or lack of knowledge, there is no excuse for DeSean Jackson to post a highly-sensitive message attributed to one of the world’s most evil dictators the world has ever seen.
There is no more pressing issue in our society right now than the social inequalities minorities continue to face. We have seen so much positive change come from protests, voting, and public awareness in such a short time in the last few months. A message often seen is “spread love, not hate” and to fight hate with love, not with more hate.
NFL Too Silent
There has been a noticeable, deafening silence among the NFL community since these posts took place. Members of the White-Jewish community should be deeply troubled by the lack of attention and a lack of sincere regret from Jackson.
Since ancient times Jews have been targeted and persecuted solely for their Jewish beliefs and it continues to happen. There was the 2018 Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and seriously wounded six others. Another 2018 synagogue shooting happened in Los Angeles a few months later, which led to another synagogue shooting in Poway, California which killed one woman and injured three more people. A Kosher supermarket was shot up in New Jersey where five people were killed and one civilian and two police officers were injured. All of these tragedies occurred in the last two years alone.
In December 2019, on the seventh night of Channukah, a man entered a Rabbi’s home in Monsey, NY while yielding a knife. The intruder went on to stab five people attending the Rabbi’s Channukah party. These cruel acts against Judaism show how far our society still needs to go when it comes to religion and race.
The NFL owners, players and front office personnel all need to step up and condemn Jackson’s posts.
Not the Eagles First Time Dealing With Race Issues
This isn’t the Philadelphia Eagles first time dealing with a racial issue. In July of 2013, fellow wide receiver Riley Cooper was seen on video saying the n-word to an African American security guard at a concert. Cooper used the racial slur several times and threatened to fight every African-American there. This was a big story at the time, but Cooper was only fined an undisclosed amount by the team and that was the end of the issue.
Under no circumstance, should anyone use the n-word in public. Cooper got off with a slap on the wrist and probably should have been released by the Eagles. Instead, Cooper was awarded a new five-year contract a few months later. This decision aged horribly, as the Eagles cut Cooper after playing just one more season with Philadelphia.
Now, seven years later, the Eagles are back in the same spot dealing with a receiver using poor judgment on a public platform that has offended many people.
Eagles Should Be Under Scrutiny
Jackson receives his paycheck from general manager Howie Roseman, who gets that money from Jeffrey Lurie, the team owner. Both Roseman and Lurie are men of Jewish faith who surely didn’t approve of Jackson’s use of social media. Lurie and Roseman should both be under scrutiny to see how they discipline Jackson. The talented receiver returned to Philly in 2019 after Roseman made a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jackson, now 33, played in only three games last year before a core injury plagued his season and required season-ending surgery. Jackson is set to make $4.8 million in guaranteed money this season and he already received a $2 million option bonus according to Adam Schefter.
Eagles Can Move on From Jackson
The Eagles can move on from Jackson if they’d like. He is far past his prime, isn’t the same dynamic playmaker he once was, he missed 13 games last year, and the Eagles have already begun revamping their receiving corps.
Philly drafted three receivers in 2020, including first-round pick Jalen Reagor, and also traded for Marquise Goodwin. Jackson’s spot on the roster was already unclear, and his very poor use of social media gives the team an easy out to move on from him.
Last Word
Jackson has since deleted all the hateful posts and has apologized for the incident, claiming innocence that his message was taken the “wrong way” and he has no “hatred in my heart for anyone.” The Eagles released a statement as well, condemning Jackson’s actions and said that this will be reviewed.
The NFL also released a statement, noting that Jackson’s comments were “inappropriate, offensive, and divisive.” Clearly, this is a bad situation for all parties involved. Only time will tell what, if any discipline, Jackson receives.
DeSean Jackson should be cut for his highly offensive remarks. Football wise, the Eagles can afford to make this move since they have several younger and cheaper replacement options.
If Jackson remains on the team, he better demonstrate good behavior, prove that he genuinely learned from his actions and that he understands how offensive and hurtful his posts were. He needs to do better than a 90-second apology; he needs to grow and learn from the incident and maybe see how he can help the Jewish community.
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