DeSean Jackson apologizes for anti-Semitic social media post: 'Hitler was a bad person, and I know that'

DeSean Jackson
(Image credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has issued an apology for a series of anti-Semitic social media posts that drew outrage this week, saying he "didn't mean it to the extent that you guys took it."

Jackson on Instagram recently praised Louis Farrakhan, who the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an "an antisemite who routinely accuses Jews of manipulating the U.S. government and controlling the levers of world power," and posted an anti-Semitic quote that he attributed to Adolf Hitler, The New York Times reports. Hitler is not believed to actually be the source of the quote that Jackson posted, NBC News notes.

Amid the subsequent backlash, Jackson on Tuesday apologized in an Instagram video.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"My post was definitely not intended for anybody of any race to feel any type of way, especially the Jewish community," Jackson said. "When I posted what I posted, I definitely didn't mean it to the extent that you guys took it, and I just want to let you guys know that I'm very apologetic."

Jackson added that he didn't intend to "put any race down or any religion down" but acknowledged he "probably should have never posted anything that Hitler did because Hitler was a bad person, and I know that." The apology itself drew some additional criticism, with The Athletic's Connor Hughes writing, "This is among the worst apologies I’ve ever heard."

The Philadelphia Eagles in a statement on Wednesday condemned Jackson's posts, saying that "regardless of his intentions, the messages he shared were offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling." The team added that "we are continuing to evaluate the circumstances and will take appropriate action."

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.