OT - NFL update: Desean Jackson makes wildy Anti-Semitic Instagram post

Submitted by Ron Burgundy on July 7th, 2020 at 3:46 PM

So, I was somewhat surprised not to see this posted on the board, given the posts in the last week about football and social justice related things like Drew Brees and his tweets about the flag, Gundy and the OAN, Jake Fromm tweets, etc., felt that this was (or should be) too big to ignore, especially in the sports-deprived COVID era. 

Anyway, Desean Jackson (Eagles WR) took to Instagram to post some pretty wildly anti-semitic things this weekend. The "TL;DR" is that he posted a Louis Farrakhan quote that Hitler said white Jews are imposters that will blackmail and extort America in order to protect their secret in their quest for world domination. An article with a little bit more, and a screenshot of the specific post, can be seen here: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2020/7/7/21315815/desean-jackson-shares-quotes-attributed-adolf-hitler-instagram-eagles-wide-receiver-farrahkan

 

There are more stories written about it if you Google, etc., but it is certainly a much more muted response than, say, Drew Brees's recent tweets which generated quick consternation from his teammates as well as other players. The Eagles came out with a twitter response (https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1280528345067896834)  and the chatter is it could result in him getting cut or penalized (https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1280546325453590528). Interestingly, the GM and owner of the eagles are both Jewish, so it'll be interesting to see how they respond. Further, as you may remember, the Eagles had another racist WR incident in 2013 when Riley Cooper said he would "fight any [insert horrible word] here." The result of that was a fine, but he was allowed to stay with a team, so there is somewhat of a precedent of a weak response by the same team. 

 

 

 

Gucci Mane

July 7th, 2020 at 3:49 PM ^

They better cut Jackson for these disgusting comments. People have been cut or fired for far less. If he isn’t cut what is being said by the eagles and NFL is they only care about anti black racism. 

Joined: 02/10/2014

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MGlobules

July 7th, 2020 at 6:43 PM ^

Who's saying the comments are okay? Not a soul--left, right, or center. This whole exchange is so crudely freighted with assumptions that it's ridiculous. Jewish people helped form the backbone of the civil rights movement, and were among MLK's and the SCLC's biggest supporters. (I know whereof I speak.) This guy is an ignorant dumb-ass. Like Brees and a lot of these other clowns, he's a deer-in-the-headlights dumb-ass, but personally I don't think that means that he should catch much slack. 

Absolutely correct to jump on this one and publicize it, as--from what I can see--is happening, despite the OP's assertion. 

This game of gotcha needs to go a little deeper, but maybe expecting that to happen here at mgoboom. . . 

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Larry Appleton

July 7th, 2020 at 3:50 PM ^

Sick.

Ice Cube recently started posting antisemitic crap, too.  Shame.  I was a fan. 

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Nobody Likes a…

July 7th, 2020 at 4:56 PM ^

wait you didn't know this about Cube before he resurfaced this bullshit? I get that people have been giving him a pass and saying its' more about Jerry Heller than all Jewish people. But this hasn't been a secret about Cube for a long time.

Every time Cube says something stupid I spin "The Bitch in Yoo"

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ChuckieWoodson

July 7th, 2020 at 3:53 PM ^

"The result of that (Cooper) was a fine, but he was allowed to stay with a team, so there is somewhat of a precedent of a weak response by the same team."

Weak response?  I dunno man. You say stupid shit you should pay the price - yes.  Did that warrant getting kicked off the team?  I don't feel like it should've.  We live in an amazingly over sensitive PC world right now.  I don't condone hatred or stuff like this at all, but at the same time, I feel like the world (and the US especially) should relax a bit.  You post something stupid and immediately retract it with an apology?  That's your one warning.  You do it again?  Then I feel it warrants further action as then you've established a trend.  This mob mentality, super sensitive witch hunt stuff is just getting old.

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RoseInBlue

July 7th, 2020 at 4:13 PM ^

I wouldn't really consider expressing racist comments the same as saying "stupid shit".  Nor would I consider my desire for intolerance of people expressing hateful views of my race or ethnicity or gender part of an "over sensitive PC world". 

You don't condone hatred and yet you want the world to "relax a bit" over people being hateful.  I'll be honest with you, I've often expressed the same opinion that the world has gotten a little sensitive.  But hatred like this needs to be stopped.  No one makes racist posts like this by accident.  And in my opinion, things like this shouldn't simply be overlooked and written off because "they didn't mean it".  Then, why did they post it?  Why did they say it in the first place? Because on some level, they thought it.  I'm sorry but I'm really, really tired of this.

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bsand2053

July 7th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^

It wasn’t really an apology.  More of a wishy washy “sorry if you were offended” statement,

 

And this isn’t just some stupid slip of the tongue.  He put a lot of effort into some toxic anyi-Semitic garbage.

I’d like to see him face some severe consequences.  Anti-semitism is on the rise on both the political left and right . This shit needs to stop 

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Gucci Mane

July 7th, 2020 at 5:51 PM ^

Anti-semitism is in the rise on the left. How is it rising on the right though ? I’m honestly asking because it seems Trump is very pro-Isreal. I myself, clearly on the right, am extremely pro Jewish and pro Israel. 

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rob f

July 7th, 2020 at 6:03 PM ^

And I'm honestly replying that Trump tweeted his praises several months ago about the "fine people" marching with torches while chanting anti-Jewish garbage.  He's tweeted support AND spoken on several occasions in defense/support of numerous hate groups that are very anti-Semitic. 

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bsand2053

July 7th, 2020 at 6:12 PM ^

Well there are two separate things to address, Trump and the Right.

When I say the right, I mean world wide. AfD, the National Front, etc.  Speaks for itself.  
 

Ad far as Trump goes, the has repeatedly retweeted far right/anti Semitic memes.  There was an infamous ad in 2016 that was full of dog whistles about Jewish bankers.  He hired Steve Bannon.  His campaign just repurposed a Nazi symbol on its merchandise.  He also calls Jewish Democrat’s disloyal to Israel, which is wildly antisemetic, dual loyalty and all that  He Ali’s said that there we’re very fine people chanting “Jews will not replace us”.
 

He’s pro-Israel because he knows the evangelicals are and because Israel has a conservative government.  He doesn’t give a shit about Jews.  And yes he has a Jewish son in law, daughter and grandchildren.  Makes it all the more bizarre

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Gucci Mane

July 7th, 2020 at 6:23 PM ^

Trump never ever called the white-nationalists “fine people” that is an outright lie by the media. How do people still believe that. Go watch those quotes again. He absolutely didn’t say that. 
And yes Jewish Democrats are at the very least hurting Israel. The democrat party is full of people who hate Israel. They think Israel is an illegitimate state. Look at some of the things said by “the squad”. Some really vicious and Jew hating stuff from them. How can you excuse that ? 
I have talked to many Jews about how many vote democrat and have been told this....Religious Jews vote republican and non-religious vote democrat. That seems to be more or less true.  

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Macenblu

July 7th, 2020 at 6:58 PM ^

I’m a religious Jew.  My family are religious Jews.  Almost all of my jewish friends are religious.  Almost all of us lean to the left.  Please don’t paint with a broad brush.  Either you are an idiot or you just sound like one, I’ll let you decide.

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Bo Harbaugh

July 7th, 2020 at 7:03 PM ^

Israel and Jews are not synonymous, although it has become increasingly difficult to separate the two when debating the politics. 

Within Israel there is much debate on its own policies towards its neighbors as well as domestic issues, hence the inability for them to build a coalition government at times.  They actually have a real democracy with many parties though, unlike the US where many would argue we are stuck with bad choice A or bad choice B.

In the US, Europe and Middle East...

The far left has indeed spewed hateful rhetoric about Israel, and some of it has been borderline anti-Semitic.  Their anti-semitism is cloaked in policy disagreement, but is often propaganda you hear coming from the muslim world - rooted in more recent events around the Israel-Palestinian conflict as well as the Arab world in general despising Israel since its inception.  This, however, is evolving as the conflict between Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslim (Most specifically Saudi Arabia and Iran) ratchets up, and the Sunni states are aligning more with Israel, it being the other nuclear power in the region. The issue of a Palestinian state is and will remain a point of contention. 

The far right doesn't really engage in discussions around the state of Israel, but instead focuses on white supremacy and Christian-European anti-semitism which has been a theme for the past 1200 years (the blood libel, Christ killers, the Eternal Jew, etc). There are evangelicals on the right, however, that support Israel simply for the belief that the Jews must be in control of Jerusalem before the messiah returns/rapture, etc.

In all, there's a veritable cornucopia of anti-semitism on both the far left and far right, often based on political or historical misinformation campaigns.  There is also a great deal of support for Jews and Israel within the center left and center right in the US and Europe. 

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Perkis-Size Me

July 7th, 2020 at 6:15 PM ^

Yep, the same president who believed that white supremacists marching on Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us” were “very fine people.” Guess you also forgot that white supremacists largely (if not completely) lean very far to the right.

I’m sure there are anti-Semites on the left as well, but don’t pretend your side of the aisle doesn’t have more than it’s fair share of intolerant jerkoffs. 

 

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Robbie Moore

July 7th, 2020 at 6:24 PM ^

That was a strange apology. Hitler caused great pain to the Jewish people. Hitler, as a matter of state policy, killed 6 million Jews. Industrialized murder. 

America has caused great pain to the African American community. Institutional racism, many many murders a result of vigilante and institutional "justice." Held down and marginalized. But to compare the admittedly terrible experience of African Americans in America to Jews in Nazi Germany (and occupied countries) does not work.

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ChuckieWoodson

July 7th, 2020 at 4:58 PM ^

From my understanding reading the story he shared that image and this was not something he created.  Is it one's responsibility to review what one posts?  Absolutely.  Did he perhaps just glance at it and then after taking a closer look realize it contained much harsher language and message than he had originally intended? 

If his next post was "fuck all you guys, this is how I feel" or if he didn't retract it, I would feel he should feel the wrath.  Is it possible in this instance he made a mistake?  Yes.  It is possible that he's feeling the heat now after being called out a took it down only to save his own ass?  Also possible.  I like to give people a 2nd chance if there's a near immediate atonement for their actions.  But in today's instant world, I guess that just doesn't happen anymore.

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Mgoscottie

July 7th, 2020 at 6:53 PM ^

I don't mind 2nd chances at all, but I do think that the person should put in some effort to earn them. It's pretty easy to throw out a crappy apology. Instead the person should demonstrate a genuine effort to make amends that involves personal education as well as restoration based on the harm they caused. 

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bronxblue

July 7th, 2020 at 5:05 PM ^

People don't stumble into anti-Semitism like this, and if he did then tough luck, you should still get fired.  I hate the argument that we're too "PC" because people who say racist, xenophobic, and otherwise deeply offensive things are taken to task for it.  I'm fairly certain there is a combination of words that would be deeply offensive to you, and you'd probably want something to be done to the person saying it.

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ChuckieWoodson

July 7th, 2020 at 5:18 PM ^

Don't totally disagree.  However, I feel in this case sharing an image quickly and then retracting it is much different than a 3 paragraph anti-semitic diatribe in his own words.  The former, at least in my opinion, warrants a "2nd chance" since he removed it and apologized. The latter, certainly not and that's the basis of my argument in this specific case.

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wolverinestuckinEL

July 7th, 2020 at 5:21 PM ^

Alright but it's naive to think that taking people to task for saying racist or xenophobic things is in any way going to change the way they think.  We can take away the platform for all famous people who say dumb shit and take away their careers and then they become just regular people who think the same dumb things and say the same dumb things.  I'm not really sure what problem that solves, I'd personally rather know who the racists and xenophobes are around me then have to wonder about it.  I just think there has to be another way to confront these issues and making martyrs of the offenders might not be the best way.

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wolverinestuckinEL

July 7th, 2020 at 5:58 PM ^

I agree wholeheartedly.   The warning won't really affect peoples way of thinking just cause them to conceal it so they don't lose their job or suffer the same public ridicule.  It takes real understanding and discourse for people to change their thinking about race, public shaming isn't the answer.   Its easy and is satisfying in the short term but not a lo g term solution. 

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FauxMo

July 7th, 2020 at 3:56 PM ^

Yikes. I truly believe we are living in one of the least racist periods in American history - and quite possibly, the very least racist. 

And yet......people still say and do the most outrageous shit and think nothing of it. 

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Mike Damone

July 7th, 2020 at 5:16 PM ^

Well mentioned, FauxMo and DD.  I just finished Erik Larson's book "In The Garden of Beasts", about the U.S. Ambassador to Nazi Germany in 1933.  I was stunned at the truly powerful and widespread anti-Semitic views being expressed in the United States prior to WW2, and the lack of concern regarding Hitler's actions at that time.  Incredible where we have come as a society, decade to decade, over the last 80 years. 

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