Eagles Penalize DeSean Jackson

The WR was fined for his anti-Semitic remarks made a week ago that referenced Adolf Hitler

The Eagles have penalized receiver DeSean Jackson for the anti-Semitic remarks that invoked Adolf Hitler during last weekend’s Fourth of July weekend, releasing a lengthy statement on Friday evening.

The release said, in part, that “today we have penalized DeSean Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team. He accepted these consequences and apologized.”

The Eagles said they've had many conversations with Jackson in the days after his comments.

“We have discussed a concrete plan for how we and he can heal moving forward,” the release said. “He understands that in order to remain on the team, he must commit to supporting his words with actions.”

There was no mention of what the penalty is, but a league source confirmed that it was a fine, though there is still no word yet on the amount.

Here is the Eagles' statement in its entirety:

Eagles statement penalizing DeSean Jackson / The Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles’ actions come a day after owner Jeffrey Lurie’s new documentary production company, Play/Action Pictures, along with Cinetic Media, announced the completion of its inaugural project, a documentary entitled, “The Meaning of Hitler.”

It also comes on a day when it was reported by 6ABC’s Jeff Skversky, that Jackson met with a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor on Frida, a day after meeting with an anti-Semitic group. 

Earlier in the week, Jackson issued two apologies as well, one via video, the other written out.

Here is Jackson's written apology:

DeSean Jackson's written apology / USA Today

The Eagles likely needed to tread lightly with any sort of action against Jackson after setting a precedent in a 2013 incident involving Riley Cooper, a white receiver who aggressively issued a racial slur during a Kenny Chesney concert.

A video of Cooper surfaced in July that showed him using the N-word. The Eagles fined Cooper and sent him to what was called then as “sensitivity training” which kept him away from the team for just a couple of days.

Cooper was signed to a five-year contract the following offseason and had three more productive seasons with the Eagles.

To suspend Jackson right away without giving him time to rehabilitate himself would not have looked good, lending the perception that the organization handled things differently based on race. 

Either way, it appears as if Jackson will likely remain on the roster, with the Eagles already praising him in their statement.

“We have been encouraged by his desire to educate himself,” the statement read, “but we all understand there is a lot of work to be done.”

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