Ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson defends DeSean Jackson, says he was 'speaking the truth' with Hitler quote
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has apologized multiple times for an Instagram story featuring a quote attributed to Adolf Hitler he posted on Sunday.
The quote, which was debunked by Snopes as fabrication created in 2017, has Hitler supposedly saying he will start World War III to stop white Jews from from oppressing the Black community as part of a plot to extort American and seek world domination.
That post drew scorn from many corners, including Jackson’s own team. However, Jackson found a defender in former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who has emerged as a voice in the protests against racial inequality following the killing of his friend George Floyd.
In a since-deleted Instagram video posted Tuesday, Jackson said the NFL player was “trying to educate himself” and “speaking the truth” with his debunked Hitler quote about a Jewish conspiracy.
A transcript of Jackson’s comments:
So I just read a statement that the Philadelphia Eagles posted regarding DeSean Jackson’s comments. He was trying to educate himself, educate people and he’s speaking the truth. Right? He’s speaking the truth. You know he don’t hate nobody, but he’s speaking the truth, the facts that he know and try to educate others. But y’all don’t want us to educate ourselves.
If it’s talking about the Black race, y’all ain’t saying nothing about it. They killing us, police killing us and treating us like s---. Racism at an all-time high, but ain’t none of you NFL owners spoke up on that. Ain’t none of you teams spoke up on that. But the same team had a receiver that say the word n----- publicly, and they gave him an extension. I play for the Big 3. We have a Jewish owner. He understands where we stand and some of the things we say, but it’s not directed to him. It’s the way we been treated. Philadelphia, y’all need to repost this.
In a reply to a comment on the video that claimed Jews secretly control the world, Jackson also said “They don’t control me if they think that they can kill me today. God controls me.”
Jackson later deleted the video and posted another statement.
The wide receiver Jackson refers to in his original video would be Riley Cooper, who received scorn and a fine, but not a suspension or release, after a video emerged in 2013 of him saying he would “fight every n----- here” after being denied backstage access at a Kenny Chesney concert. Cooper received a five-year extension the next year.
While Jackson, who co-hosts the Showtime podcast “All the Smoke,” categorizes the reception DeSean Jackson received as disproportionate to the one Riley Cooper received, Awful Announcing noted that the Eagles’ statements in reaction to both incidents were not too different.
This is the Eagles’ reaction to the Cooper incident in 2013:
“We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper’s words. This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident.”
And this is what the team said about Jackson in 2020:
"We have spoken with DeSean Jackson about his social media posts. Regardless of his intentions, the messages he shared were offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling. They have no place in our society, and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization. We are disappointed and we reiterated to DeSean the importance of not only apologizing, but also using his platform to take action to promote unity, equality, and respect. We are continuing to evaluate the circumstances and will take appropriate action. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to continuing to have productive and meaningful conversations with DeSean, as well as all of our players and staff, in order to educate, learn, and grow."
Unlike Cooper, no discipline has been announced for Jackson as of Tuesday.
Jackson has said he will educate himself through local and national organizations, and the chairman of Philadelphia’s Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza has announced the player has agreed to a lesson and tour of the park.
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