#DeSean Jackson’s excuse for anti-Semitic post: ‘Enlighten my people’

Eagles star wide receiver DeSean Jackson said he “never wanted to put any people down” and “was just trying to uplift African Americans and slavery and just enlighten my people” when he posted anti-Semitic quotes falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler over the weekend.

“I post things on my story all the time, and I just probably should’ve never posted anything that Hitler did because Hitler was a bad person, and I know that,” the 33-year-old three-time Pro Bowler said in an Instagram video Tuesday after facing backlash. “I was just trying to uplift African-Americans and slavery and just enlighten my people.”

The Eagles and NFL condemned Jackson’s anti-Semitic posts in separate statements Tuesday. Jackson has spoken with general manager Howie Roseman “a lot today,” according to NBC Sports Philadelphia, and was also expected to speak with owner Jeffrey Lurie. It was unclear whether Jackson would be disciplined for his actions.

In an Instagram story shared to his 1.4 million followers over the weekend, Jackson posted an image of a book containing quotes attributed to Hitler that read, “the white Jews knows that the Negroes are the real Children of Israel,” that they “will extort America” and that “their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.”

It was unclear what Jackson meant by “trying to uplift African Americans and slavery” in sharing anti-Semitic remarks falsely attributed to Hitler.

The fact-checking website Snopes.com said that Hitler never said the quotes highlighted by Jackson and that it “originated in an unsourced article published by a disreputable web site.”

The bottom of the passage falsely attributed to Hitler said, “After I die I will one day cause World War 3 … just by this message which will be like planting a seed in a people minds until it sprouts once they mature that seed and seek more truth and learn Hitler was right.”

Jackson in an apology said he didn’t “really realize what this passage was saying” and that “we should be together fighting anti-Semitism and racism.”

But Jackson over the weekend also praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who is notorious for making anti-Semitic remarks and “routinely accuses Jews of manipulating the U.S. government and controlling the levers of world power,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“This man powerful,” Jackson said after listening to a speech from Farrakhan. “I hope everyone got a chance to watch this!! Don’t be blinded. Know what’s going on!!”

Jackson has since deleted all of the posts. In his apology, Jackson did not reference his post about Farrakhan.

“Hitler has caused terrible pain to Jewish people like the pain African-Americans have suffered,” Jackson later wrote. “We should be together fighting anti-Semitism and racism.”

Jackson is currently in the middle of a three-year contract worth up to $27.9 million, with $13 million guaranteed. He can become a free agent in 2022.