The Philadelphia Eagles have spoken to DeSean Jackson about "offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling" statements the receiver made on Instagram.
The Eagles released a statement Tuesday that said the team is "continuing to evaluate the circumstances."
"We have spoken with DeSean Jackson about his social media posts," the statement read. "Regardless of his intentions, the messages he shared were offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling. They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization. We are disappointed and we iterated to DeSean the importance of not only apologizing, but also using his platform to take action to promote unity, equality, and respect. 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, as well as all of our players and staff, in order to educate, learn, and grow."
Jackson issued a pair of apologies via social media on Tuesday, the second coming in a full statement that read in part: "I want to apologize to the Jewish community, Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, Doug Pederson, the Eagles organization and our fans for the insensitive and ill-informed posts that I shared on my social media. ... In a time of division, I am committed to doing my part in making this world a better place for our children."
On his Instagram feed Monday, Jackson posted an image of a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler, saying, in part, "(white) Jews will blackmail America. (They) will extort America, their plan for world domination won't work if the Negroes know who they were."
The quote apparently does not actually come from Hitler, but Jackson appeared to believe it was genuine.
Jackson also shared posts on Instagram from controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center and other watchdog organizations have described as anti-Semitic and homophobic. Those posts have been deleted by Jackson.
After receiving criticism for the posts on social media, the 33-year-old Jackson said his posts were misinterpreted.
"Anyone who feels I have hate towards the Jewish community took my post the wrong way," he posted, highlighting part of the false Hitler quote. "I have no hatred in my heart toward no one!! Equality. Equality."
Earlier Tuesday, Jackson recorded an apology on Instagram saying his post "was not intended for anybody of any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community. … I'm very apologetic, and I just want you guys to understand that it was never intended to put any race down or any religion down."
"I post a lot of things that are sent to me" Jackson wrote on Instagram. "I do not have hatred towards anyone. I really didn't realize what this passage was saying. Hitler has caused terrible pain to Jewish people like the pain African-Americans have suffered. We should be together fighting anti-Semitism and racism. This was a mistake to post this and I truly apologize for posting it and sorry for any hurt I have caused."
The NFL released the following statement in response to Jackson's posts: "DeSean's comments were highly inappropriate, offensive and divisive and stand in stark contrast to the NFL's values of respect, equality and inclusion. We have been in contact with the team which is addressing the matter with DeSean."
The Philadelphia chapter of the ADL added in a statement on Twitter, "ADL appreciates (Jackson's) apology for the (anti-Semitic) posts on his Instagram and the (Eagles') condemnation of them. It's our hope he uses this moment as a chance to work with the Jewish community and educate himself further on how dangerous and hurtful antisemitism is."
Jackson signed a three-year, $27 million contract to return to Philly in 2019. He participated in just three games last season due to injury, but is expected to be healthy in 2020.
