Our intern Alex covered this, but I’m sure you all know the drama that’s hit Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Yeah, he only posted some anti-Semitic crap on his Instagram account. Yes, it’s Louis Farrakhan, a vicious anti-Semite who isn’t all that bothered when people compare him to Adolf Hitler. That’s what he said in the clip that Jackson posted, which has now been deleted. Needless to say, that’s problematic, right? It’s wrong in so many ways, and the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie, is Jewish. Jackson has apologized, but this notion that you’re not anti-Semitic, but post their nonsense to your account is, well, trash. And he almost got away scot-free. There was a period where no one was covering this grave social media mishap that would have most being given a pink slip. Only Yahoo! Sports appeared to be the only ones covering until Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice got on the story:
The silence over and normalization of celebrities promoting Louis Farrakhan over the last few weeks has consequences. Jackson just took it a step further. https://t.co/MDezyfprZE
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) July 7, 2020
not a sentence I thought I'd be writing tonight:
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 7, 2020
DeSean Jackson is under fire after posting (and later defending) anti-semitic quotes purportedly from Adolf Hitler on his Instagram story this weekend https://t.co/ROvJvJ05OS
I just searched and can't find the DeSean Jackson story on a single national MSM outlet, the only thing close is Yahoo Sports
— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) July 7, 2020
Also, a search of all four local Philadelphia TV stations comes up empty
The (lack of) coverage of #AntiSemitism in this country is appalling pic.twitter.com/w5S0NV9RN0
Football coach wears an OAN shirt and it's the biggest news of the day and leads to him losing $1 million of his salary.
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 7, 2020
Wide Receiver promotes Louis Farrakhan and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and it barely even trends on Twitter. https://t.co/G2v0HnIK2D
DeSean Jackson shared anti-semitic quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler on his Instagram story over the July 4th holiday, and continued to use the quotes as a conversation piece during several posts on the social media network on Monday afternoon.
The controversy started with a single story post over the weekend, in which Jackson shared the following quote purportedly from Hitler.
The quote's origin* and the original source is dubious at best, traced backward to e-books published by authors of little repute, though that seems to be beside the point, as Jackson appears to believe Hitler is the source and is (at least passively) endorsing the message, filled with anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish people secretly controlling the world.
[…]
Jackson's original post follows what appears to be a July 4th weekend where he spent a considerable amount of time watching and listening to Minister Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, with Jackson posting several times about his hours-long speech in the days since.
[…]
Farrakhan, who has routinely been dubbed anti-semitic and homophobic by watchdog groups, first came under fire for anti-semitism in the mid-1980s, when he reportedly referred to Judaism as a "dirty religion" and later said Hitler was "a very great man" after being dubbed "Black Hitler" by the Chair of the Anti-Defamation League
Recommended
Eagles WR DeSean Jackson offers an apology for sharing anti-Semitic Instagram posts:
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 7, 2020
"I’m very apologetic and it was never intended — never to put any race down or any religion down."pic.twitter.com/12x7aRgp4Y
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 7, 2020
Eagles decision on whether to keep DeSean Jackson could come down to whether post is a default under his contract. Jackson is guaranteed $4.8M this year in salary and already received a $2M option bonus. Eagles could try to figure out a way out of guaranteed salary first.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 7, 2020
Now, the Eagles organization proper has come out with a statement. But will DeSean be released or have his pay cut? That remains to be seen. Probably not, but this Hitler post fiasco with the Eagles will truly pale in comparison to the media dragging that Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy received for merely wearing a “One America News” t-shirt when he went fishing. Yeah, it led to him apologizing for wearing a t-shirt because the network has been critical of the Black Lives Matter movement. Gundy also had his pay cut as a result (via USA Today):
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy’s contract was altered following an internal review of the program that found no indications of racism more than two weeks after a near player revolt.
Gundy’s contract was reduced by $1 million and one year, going from a five-year rollover contract to a four-year rollover deal. His buyout was also reduced.
OSU athletic director Mike Holder said…that Gundy suggested the changes.
“I commend him for that,” Holder said. “I think it really demonstrates his commitment to be a better coach. And he wanted to make a statement that assured all the players that this wasn't just about talk. This is more about action, and that's the first step.”
Holder also said Gundy’s guarantee dropped to 50% of his remaining contract, which would reduce the school’s portion of his buyout by 25%. And Gundy’s financial responsibility for terminating the contract was reduced from $5 million to $4 million.
Oh please, he didn’t suggest anything. He may have said it, but he was forced to torch his wallet to quell the salivating progressive mob that had encircled him. the same is not going to happen for DeSean because, well, the rule on the Left is that black people and people of color cannot be racist or bigoted because of some made-up pseudo-intellectual stance about their structural role in society and their lack of power in it. Basically, it’s a way for the Left to provide a nonsensical shield around their own when embarrassing stuff, like Hitler posts, gets exposed.
DeSean went from “Miracle at the Meadowlands” (I don’t want to talk about it!) to a peddler of purported Nazi propaganda. He’s still causing trouble in that locker room.
Last Note: Yeah, about that apology:
Eagles WR DeSean Jackson in his apology: "I probably shouldn't have posted anything that Hitler did. Because Hitler was a bad person and I know that." https://t.co/kQrncgUe9w
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) July 7, 2020
"Probably."
Join the conversation as a VIP Member