34-year-old wide receivers are not important commodities in the NFL. But that does not mean that they cannot be intriguing.
DeSean Jackson is a homeless man, as he was recently dismissed by the Philadelphia Eagles after two seasons full of injuries with the team that called him. There is a chance that this could be the end for Jackson, as retirement may be in his plans. Or, if healthy, he could continue to strive to extend his career full of highlights, as he has the most touchdowns over 60 yards in league history, with 24, ranking him sixth in yards per reception ( 17.4), according to ESPN.
But for many, this will no longer be about what Jackson can and cannot do on a football field. Everything changed last summer, when he posted “unknowingly” false quotes from Hitler against the anti-Semite while playing for a team that had a Jewish owner, Jeffrey Lurie, while the country was in the midst of one of its most historic racial upheavals . Jackson ended up being fined by the Eagles and was able to keep his job. Lurie didn’t exactly have a choice, he set a precedent in 2013 when he fined Jackson’s former teammate Riley Cooper, but did not suspend him, after Cooper was filmed, shouting “I’m going to jump over that fence and fight all (words with N) here, bro”, at a show.
Cooper continued to play after his incident, and injuries and age eventually led to his retirement a few seasons later. Jackson’s career could be the same, except that there is a stark difference between the two.
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Cooper is white. Jackson is black.
And with the way America has always been configured, this country will forgive a white man for saying something racist. This grace is rarely extended to blacks. We are also talking about the NFL, a league that says it wants to “end racism” while still participating voluntarily.
According reports, the Eagles must pass Alshon Jeffrey, as Jackson will not be the only veteran wide receiver outside of Philadelphia next season. Personnel changes are normal when a new regime takes over, as the Eagles will have a new starting quarterback (Jalen Hurts) and a coach (Nick Sirianni) next season.
“I look forward to my next chapter. Philadelphia is always love. Enjoy everything, ” Jackson posted on social media, as he prepares to see what comes next. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see how NFL offices, teams and fanbases deal with the idea of Jackson joining his locker room after what happened last summer. Because in case you forgot, this is a league where a large part of the crowd is against growth, redemption and unity when it comes to black people.
This clip is a reminder of how insane things can get in the NFL, as you can be booed by unity, while millions didn’t hesitate to watch a Super Bowl that featured two men – Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown – with stories of violence domestic.
That’s the way it is in this country. But, I know that if DeSean Jackson were white, I would not be questioning whether or not his past transgressions were an obstacle to his potential employment. In 2014, the Eagles signed Riley Cooper for a five-year extension, $ 25 million, with a guaranteed $ 10 million, after proving to be racist.