Does DeSean Jackson Apology Go Far Enough?

The Eagles WR said he didn't intend any harm or hatred to any group of people with his anti-Semitic posts on social media, but the Eagles called the comments "offensive, harmful, and appalling"

DeSean Jackson has apologized.

Is it good enough?

Was it sincere enough to earn forgiveness?

Were the words he used the right ones?

You be the judge with this apology link from the Instagram account of the Eagles wide receiver:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbrKOLIaHYk

Is this what the Eagles wanted when they released a statement on Tuesday regarding Jackson’s ugly and offensive remarks made on his IG account during the Fourth of July weekend?

The Eagles’ statement called Jackson’s anti-Semitic remarks “offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling” and that the comments “are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization.”

Eagles full statement on DeSean Jackson / The Philadelphia Eagles

The organization told Jackson he needs to apologize, and he has.

Jackson did so on social media, but also to owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman, according to NBC Sports Philly's John Clark. Both Lurie and Roseman are Jewish.

As for any consequences, well the Eagles' statement was light on those details, except this:

“We are continuing to evaluate the circumstances and will take appropriate action. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to continuing to have productive and meaningful conversations with DeSean...”

A quick refresher as to Jackson’s incendiary posts, which included quotes from Adolf Hitler and expressed admiration for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whom the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center have identified as ant-Semitic.

The posts about Farrakhan have since been deleted.

Part of Jackson’s quotes said that white Jews will “blackmail” and “extort” America. After the backlash of that, Jackson tried to apologize by writing, “I have no hatred in my heart toward no one.”

Except the apology included another (now debunked) comment from Hitler that said “They (Jewish people) will extort America, their plan to world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.”

DeSean Jackson, posts a quote from Hitler, says he’s not anti-Semitic and then highlights the particularly anti-Semitic part.

As an Eagles fan, this is disgusting. Where is the response from the team and the NFL? pic.twitter.com/MFPmz0PyOY

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 7, 2020

Apology or not, are those comments enough to earn Jackson his release from the Eagles’ roster?

Jackson said in his apology – without ever using the words “I am sorry” – that he didn’t mean his comments to the extent they were taken. Not sure how he intended anyone to take them for what they were – ugly, offensive, and, frankly, very concerning.

Jackson said he didn’t mean to put any race down and didn’t intend any harm or hatred, adding that he knows that Hitler was a bad person. Thankful for that last part.

So, what was Jackson’s intent with the post?

He claims he wanted to enlighten his people, to uplift his race.

If that was the case, Jackson missed the mark by a wide margin.

The organization dealt with callous remarks by players previously. Riley Cooper’s racial slur in the summer of 2013 comes quickly to mind.

A video surfaced in July of that year that showed Cooper saying: “I will jump that fence and fight every (N-word) here.”

Cooper was fined and made to apologize, saying in part, “I am so ashamed of disgusted with myself … I have been offensive … there are no excuses. What I did was wrong, and I will accept the consequences.”

In addition to the fine, Cooper was sent away for a few days for “sensitivity training.”

Cooper had signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension that summer and the team did not release him. Cooper played another three seasons for then-head coach Chip Kelly. Cooper wasn’t a spare part, either in that time, playing 89 percent of the snaps the fall after the comment was made, 81 percent of the snaps in 2014, and 49 percent in his final year with the team in 2015.

That season was also Cooper’s final snaps as an NFL player.

My answer to some of the previous questions listed here are:

The apology isn’t good enough. Actions speak louder than words and let’s see what Jackson comes up with as far as that goes.

The Eagles, according to Clark, told Jackson he needs to be active to promote equality, and Jackson and his reps have spoken to Rabbi Doniel Grodnitzky of Chabad Young Philly to help educate himself.

An “I’m sorry” would have been nice, but it’s just semantics. Simply saying “I apologize” will suffice.

Finally, I don’t think he will be released, based on how the Eagles handled the Cooper situation.

What Jackson did was wrong and horrible. It was downright ignorant, though ignorance is no excuse.

I don’t know if Jackson is truly an anti-Semite or not. I choose to believe he is not, that he just was not very bright in how expressed himself in this instance.

I don’t think he should be released for this and that is not meant to be construed as a defense of him, but he was the lynchpin in getting some of his teammates such as Jake Elliott and Jason Kelce to speak out against racial injustice in the wake of the George Floyd’s death earlier this summer by telling his experiences living with systemic racism.

Still, Jackson should know better. 

Sadly, he still doesn’t seem to get it.

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