The Philadelphia Eagles have penalized DeSean Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team, after the wide receiver posted anti-Semitic quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler and Louis Farrakhan to Instagram.
The Eagles said in a statement:
This has been a difficult and emotional week for our community and organization. The Philadelphia Eagles do not tolerate hate towards any individual or group. We believe in respect and equality for all races, ethnicities, and faiths. We as an organization want to help be an instrument for positive change. This can only occur through strong, deliberate actions and a commitment to learn and grow.
We have had a number of constructive conversations over the last few days, not only with DeSean Jackson, but also with many other players, members of the organization, and leaders in the community. That has led us to the point where we and he are ready to take the next steps.
Today we have penalized DeSean for conduct detrimental to the team. He accepted these consequences and apologized. In our many conversations with him, it has also been made clear that this is only the beginning. We have discussed a concrete plan for how we and he can heal moving forward. He understands that in order to remain on the team, he must also commit to supporting his words with actions. We have been encouraged by his desire to educate himself, but we all understand that there is still a lot of work to be done. We will continue to assist DeSean in this process, and we also know that all of us in our organization need to listen and learn more about things that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable to us.
We must continue to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, while not losing sight of the important battle against systemic racism.
The statement does not stipulate exactly how Jackson will be “penalized.”
The move comes four days after Jackson initially posted the hateful remarks. During that time, he has met with several Jewish leaders in Philadelphia and accepted an invitation from Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
However, as time went by without hearing from the team and as word circulated about Jackson’s efforts to “educate himself” on anti-Semitism, it became widely believed that the Eagles punishment would be a light one.
Clearly, those beliefs were correct.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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