Eagles’ DeSean Jackson says he doesn’t hate Jewish community after posting anti-Semitic messages

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson said he has no hatred toward the Jewish community and issued two separate statements of apology with “a promise to do better” after he posted on social media Monday an anti-Semitic message that he attributed to Adolf Hitler and admiration for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

The Eagles on Tuesday responded by calling Jackson’s posts “offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling” and said the team would take “appropriate action.” Team owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are Jewish.

Jackson spoke with Lurie late Tuesday afternoon, a source told ESPN’s Tim McManus, with Lurie expressing deep disappointment in his player. Jackson expressed a desire to educate himself and work directly with the Jewish community, and a short time later, his camp contacted the rabbi at Chabad Young Philly to discuss ways for Jackson to donate and work with the organization.

The controversy spun out of Jackson’s Instagram story, on which he featured a quote he attributed to Hitler that said white Jews “will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.”

He also shared two posts on Instagram — on Saturday and on Monday — expressing admiration for Farrakhan, whom the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center have identified as anti-Semitic. Those posts have since been deleted.

“We have spoken with DeSean Jackson about his social media posts,” the Eagles said in their statement. “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 reiterated 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 also spoke with Roseman, a source told McManus. No discussion of a suspension or termination has been raised with Jackson to this point, a source added.

The NFL released a statement Tuesday calling Jackson’s comments “highly inappropriate, offensive and divisive” and saying they “stand in stark contrast to the NFL’s values of respect, equality and inclusion.” The league said it has been in contact with the Eagles on the matter.

Jackson on Tuesday posted an apology on Instagram, saying he “really didn’t realize what this passage [attributed to Hitler] was saying” and that he is “sorry for any hurt I have caused.”

He posted an additional apology to his social media accounts after meeting with Lurie, noting “this apology is more than just words — it is a promise to do better.”

“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,” Jackson wrote in his follow-up statement. “My intention was to uplift, unite and encourage our culture with positivity and light. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I unintentionally hurt the Jewish community in the process and for that I am sorry! Now more than ever we must work together to end discrimination of all types and against all people and communities.

“This apology is more than just words — it is a promise to do better. I will fully educate myself and work with local and national organizations to be more informed and make a difference in our community. I will consider my words and actions going forward. I will seek out voices from other communities and listen to their words, thoughts and beliefs. In a time of division, I am committed to doing my part in making this world a better place for our children.”

Jackson and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz have spoken, a source told ESPN, after Wentz reached out to try to understand where Jackson was coming from.

After initially receiving criticism on social media, Jackson on Monday said the posts were taken “the wrong way.”

“Anyone who feels I have hate towards the Jewish community took my post the wrong way,” he posted on his Instagram story, along with the highlighted passage that was attributed to Hitler. “I have no hatred in my heart toward no one!! Equality. Equality.”

At the end, he added raised fist emojis in multiple skin tones.

The Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia on Tuesday asked on social media for Jackson to “immediately apologize” and to learn more about Farrakhan’s “disturbing history of hate and antisemitism.”

The organization later reacted to Jackson’s apology and the Eagles’ strong condemnation of the wide receiver’s original Instagram posts.

ADL appreciates @DeSeanJackson10 apology for the #antisemitic 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.

— ADL Philadelphia (@ADLPhiladelphia) July 7, 2020

Patrick Mahomes said he had two goals for his new contract when extension talks began with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this summer: He wanted long-term security and he wanted to leave the Chiefs enough financial flexibility to build a strong team around him.

Mahomes said Tuesday he’s confident he attained both by signing a 10-year extension that could pay him up to $503 million and is the richest-valued contract in American professional sports. Combined with the two seasons on his existing deal, Mahomes is bound to the Chiefs through the 2031 season.

“Not only does it give me the security that I’ve always wanted but also it allows an opportunity for the team to be great around me the entire duration of my career,” Mahomes said. “I have full trust things will be handled the right way as we go throughout this career and that we will be in a position to win a lot of football games and hopefully win a lot more championships as my career goes on.

“It’s an exciting time. I’m just glad that I get to continue to build this legacy in Kansas City.”

Mahomes said he leaned on his father, Pat, and godfather, LaTroy Hawkins, for advice. Both were longtime Major League Baseball pitchers.

“They didn’t sign that long-term contract but they saw players who did and … how they were able to go out there and play free, knowing they had the security that they had always wanted,” Mahomes said. “The biggest thing they preached to me is kind of the same thing I already thought. It was good to just hear them. You want to have great players around you. You don’t want to be a guy that takes up all the money and then all of a sudden you’re having to sign different guys that will take cheaper deals. We’re going to be able to reward players and keep a lot of these guys around that have built the culture even before I was here.”

To sign for the next 12 seasons required a great deal of trust on the part of Mahomes. It’s impossible to know what the Chiefs will have in place around him much beyond the immediate future. Coach Andy Reid, for instance, is 62 years old, although he seems to be enjoying coaching as much now as he ever did. Mahomes said he consulted with Reid before signing such a long extension.

“He said he had no thoughts of being retired any time soon,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, that’s a huge part of it. Having Brett Veach, a young general manager who’s done a great job of drafting and putting a lot of great players around me, was definitely another huge boost of confidence to sign this 10-year extension.

“You can’t do this with every single organization. When you have an organization with the stability and the culture that we have in the Chiefs’ organization, I felt very comfortable. I have a lot of trust that I can do a contract like this knowing that we were going to have that same stability by the time I’m at the end of that contract.”

The Chiefs said they had no problem with giving Mahomes, who is only 24, a long extension. He has yet to disappoint them in his two seasons as their starting quarterback. He was the NFL’s MVP in 2018 and last season led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.

“There’s still a lot of improvement for Pat in his game,” Veach said. “He’s still growing and learning. He’s hungry. He’s a special kid. At such a young age he’s so mature.”

As the 2018 season started and it quickly became evident what kind of player Mahomes is, Veach met with the Chiefs’ salary-cap managers and they started preparing for what he called a “baseball contract” for Mahomes. Mahomes’ deal tops the contract signed last year by Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, who signed for 12 years and almost $427 million.

“If there was ever a player that was truly deserving of the largest contract in U.S. sports history, it’s definitely Pat Mahomes,” Veach said.