The DeSean Jackson Situation
In 2020, any kind of bigotry is not tolerated and rightfully so.
We live in a day and age where people of all different demographics and minority groups are linking arms to destroy hate.
Naturally, when an individual, or group of individuals, attempt to break that link, they are denounced. DeSean Jackson became one of those individuals this week.
On Monday night, DeSean Jackson posted a (fake) quote from Hitler that read:
“Jews blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were”.
DeSean posted this image on his Instagram story on Monday Night
Whether he fully understood the quote or not, it is common sense that you should look the other way when you see something with Hitler’s name attached to it.
In his apology to the Philadelphia Eagles as well as the Jewish community, DeSean wrote that his intention was not to be divisive, but rather ‘uplifting‘. However, considering the fact that Hitler was one of the most despicable figures in all of humanity, DeSean can’t be let off on that pretense.
The Aftermath
Without a doubt, DeSean received backlash from the Eagles and the Jewish community. Unfortunately, however, those who were not directly affected by the posts refused to speak up. This cannot happen; hate against any group should not, and cannot be tolerated.
Athletes and public figures who have been outspoken about the recent injustices against the black community have not shown the same empathy towards the Jewish community, thus causing a major commotion on social media. Standing up to bigotry should not be a pick and chose matter; you are either completely against it or not.
What Should the Eagles Do?
Both the Eagles owner, Jeffery Lurie, and the general manager, Howie Roseman, are Jewish, which makes this issue much more severe. Through his posts, DeSean not only hurt the Jewish community, but he also hurt his own team. In order to truly help DeSean understand why his posts were hurtful, two actions must be in order.
First, DeSean needs to educate himself. He has taken that initiative himself, which goes a long way, but taking initiative and actually learning are two separate things. Anti-Semitism goes beyond knowing who Hitler was. He must understand that the struggles the Jewish community goes through are very real and should not be taken lightly.
Second, either the NFL or the Eagles, need to come down with a punishment. There has to be an example set that these kinds of actions are not taken lightly. Holding DeSean accountable is an absolute must. But the question is, should the punishment include him being cut? To me, I don’t think he should. If he can come back and truly show the Jewish community repentance, I think he’ll have done his job.
He should have to serve a suspension or pay a fine, but cutting him does not solve the problem.
If the Eagles still feel the need to cut him though, it would be understandable given the severity of his actions.
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