DeSean Jackson Should Be Released By Eagles And Suspended After Controversial Posts, Former NFL Lineman Says
Uche Nwaneri, a former guard with the Jacksonville Jaguars, said on Friday that DeSean Jackson should be released by the Philadelphia Eagles and suspended by the NFL after his controversial social media posts sharing conspiracy theories about the Jewish people attributed to Adolf Hitler. In a post shared on Reddit’s r/NFL page, Nwaneri wrote that he believes Jackson should face harsh consequences, but said it would be up to team owner Jeff Lurie to decide.
The Philadelphia Eagles star came under fire for posts he shared with his 1.3 million Instagram followers earlier this week. Jackson posted several comments from Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has been accused of anti-Semitism, and posted images of text said to be from Hitler claiming that Jews were preventing Americans from seeing that Black people were “the real Children of Israel.”
Nwaneri said he was disappointed with Jackson for believing that the posts might be appropriate to share.
“I am supremely disappointed that a man who has found so much success on and off the field as a 13 year professional in the NFL could allow himself to be placed in such a situation.” he wrote. “We have been trained on this. In the NFL we are trained each and every year about the DANGERS of social media. We have been drilled in a sense, about online interactions. Think twice before you hit SEND. And if you really have to think twice, you probably shouldn’t post it at all.”
Nwaneri added that he hasn’t been given reason to believe that Jackson is a racist or bigot, but believes the Eagles star opened the door for people to perceive him that way with his thoughtless actions. He went on to say that the incident should serve as a lesson for people to be more careful with their words and always work to better themselves.
While many have sharply criticized Jackson for his posts, others have called on him to turn the incident into a learning opportunity. Julian Edelman, a New England Patriots wide receiver of Jewish descent, invited Jackson to accompany him on a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Edelman said they could then visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington together.
DeSean and I spoke for awhile last night. We're making plans to use our experiences to educate one another and grow together. Stay tuned.
??????????@DeSeanJackson10— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) July 10, 2020
Edelman shared this week that he had spoken with Jackson and that they were making plans for a meeting to discuss their lived experiences and cultural history.
