The Eagles have been quiet so far regarding last night’s posts by wide receiver DeSean Jackson, which included anti-Semitic messages.
But one of their former executives has made his thoughts clear on the matter, and their own problematic precedents have made their next steps delicate ones.
“If a white player said anything about AA’s [African-Americans] as outrageous as what DeSean Jackson said about Jews tonight there would at least be a serious conversation about cutting him and a need for a team meeting to discuss,” former Eagles team president Joe Banner wrote on social media. “Which would be totally appropriate. Absolutely indefensible.”
Banner was the Eagles’ team president in 2008, when Jackson was drafted, but was gone before Jackson was released in 2014.
After sharing quotes purported to be from Adolf Hitler and Louis Farrakhan — and taking some heat online — Jackson circled back and wrote: “Anyone who feels I have hate towards the Jewish community took my post the wrong way. I have no hatred in my heart towards no one!”
It’s hard to discern exactly what Jackson’s point was, but the Eagles’ reaction will be worth monitoring.
They’ve been through a similar situation before. In 2013, video surfaced of Riley Cooper using racial slurs at a country music concert. Cooper was fined, and apologized, and went through some counseling but remained with the team, signing a lucrative extension the following year. The decision to barely punish him was criticized by local officials at the time, and will doubtless be in the back of the mind of the team whenever they acknowledge Jackson’s words.