Julian Edelman is arguably the most popular Jewish player to ever play in the National Football League, so naturally many people have asked him for his thoughts on DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic Instagram posts. On Thursday, Edelman addressed the situation.
In a video he released on social media, Edelman encouraged people to have “uncomfortable conversations” about racism and bigotry. He then invited Jackson to go with him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., and said he would then like to go to a museum of African-American history and culture with Jackson. Here’s the video:
Compassion, empathy and love.
Link to full video: https://t.co/pNkLg9s44V pic.twitter.com/LspyPKzCC3
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) July 9, 2020
Edelman said he did not identify as Jewish until later in life, so he never really felt that anti-Semitic remarks were directed at him until he got more in touch with his religion. The New England Patriots star also revealed that he was called a “k—” on the field in 2011, which would have been when he was playing in the NFL. Edelman went on a birthright-style trip to Israel during the 2015 offseason and documented the journey on social media.
The passage Jackson shared was incorrectly attributed to Adolf Hitler and accused Jewish people of blackmailing and extorting America as a plan for world domination. The Philadelphia Eagles wideout has apologized multiple times.
