Eagles player DeSean Jackson says he has no "hatred" for Jewish community after posting fake Adolf Hitler quotes
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson is apologizing after posting fake Adolf Hitler quotes on his social media page. His team said in a statement Tuesday that the messages he shared were "offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling" regardless of intention.
In recent days, Jackson published texts on his Instagram Story feed that were incorrectly attributed to Hitler. One of the messages read White Jews "will blackmail America" and they "will extort America, their plan for world domination won't work if the Negroes know who they were." According to Snopes, the quote isn't even real.
He also praised Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan has made several anti-Semitic comments in the past is and considered to be an "extremist figure" by the Anti-Defamation League.
Facing backlash over the posts, Jackson made a nearly two-minute video on Instagram addressing it, along with a caption, "I do not have hatred towards anyone. I really didn't realize what this passage was saying."
"I just want to first off extend an apology on behalf of me and what I stand for because I'm one that's fair," Jackson said. "I never want to put any race or any people down. My post was definitely not intended to for any body or any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community."
Eagles owner Jeff Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are both Jewish. The team said they spoke with Jackson, who is currently in the second year of a three-year deal with the team, about the texts he posted.
'They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization," the team said. "We are disappointed and reiterated to DeSean the importance of not only apologizing, but also using his platform to take action to promote unity, equality, and respect."
The team added that they are evaluating 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," the team added.
