DeSean Jackson has been promoting anti-Semitic messages through his Instagram account recently, and the Philadelphia Eagles condemned the activity on Tuesday right before Jackson issued an apology.
In a statement released through the team’s official Twitter account, the Eagles said they have spoken with Jackson about the “offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling” messages he shared. While Jackson insists he did not mean to promote anti-Semitism, the team has spoken with him about the damage the messages caused and the need to apologize for them.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 7, 2020
Jackson then issued a statement and video apologizing.
Jackson shared a passage on Instagram that included a quote that was incorrectly attributed to Adolf Hitler. The quote accuses Jewish people of blackmailing and extorting America as a plan for world domination. When Jackson was informed that he was promoting anti-Semitism, he doubled down by highlighting a specific portion that he believed proved the point he was trying to make about racism. It did not.
It’s possible — if not likely — that Jackson was truly unaware he was spreading anti-Semitic messages. That is the danger of having a powerful platform and sharing something which you do not fully understand. Hopefully Jackson realizes that now.
