On Monday, Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson created a bit of a stir by talking about wanting a new contract despite having three years left on a deal that will pay him more than $30 million.
On Monday night, Jackson tried to put the toothpaste back in the tube -- and he blamed the media for squeezing it in the first place.
Via CSNPhilly.com, Jackson took to Instagram, clarifying his remarks and shedding responsibility for saying what he said.
“To clarify any info that yall [sic] people got twisted up,” Jackson said. “I didn’t ask for a new contract . . . I’m blessed to be at the level where I feel my stats did the talking . . . Injury free year & healthy and wish the season would have ended different with a ring . . . But I’m hopeful that will happen soon . . . Don’t listen to mixed words I didn’t say . . . Tired of dumb info being twisted to what I didn’t say word up!!”
And then came the perfunctory “I was only answering a question” routine, which apparently can erase words faster than the shaking of an Etch-A-Sketch.
“The question was brought to me I didn’t bring it up!!” Jackson said. “Know ya info before speaking str8 like dat.”
We still can’t figure out why the asking of a question creates a license to utter something inflammatory that ultimately can’t be used against the person who said the inflammatory thing. Jackson would have been better off relying on Mike Vick’s strategy for dealing with his own inflammatory remarks regarding his frustrations in connection with the unsettled quarterback situation during the offseason.
“I guarantee you if you ask Chip [Kelly] what he felt about me answering the question honestly, he’ll probably tell you that he was pleased with that, other than me just saying something that I really didn’t believe in my heart,” Vick said at the time. “Because that’s what he’s instilled in us.”
To summarize, Jackson answered a question honestly. But he doesn’t like the reaction to the honest answer. So he believes that we should act like the words were never said, because he wouldn’t have said them if he hadn’t been asked the question.
None of this means Jackson doesn’t want a new contract. It only means that he doesn’t want people to criticize him for wanting a new contract.