Philadelphia Eagles penalize DeSean Jackson for anti-Semitic messages

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was fined an undisclosed amount for sharing anti-Semitic messages on social media. In addition to the fine, Jackson plans to donate a significant amount to Jewish community efforts. File Photo by Mark Goldman/UPI
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was fined an undisclosed amount for sharing anti-Semitic messages on social media. In addition to the fine, Jackson plans to donate a significant amount to Jewish community efforts. File Photo by Mark Goldman/UPI | License Photo

July 10 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Eagles penalized standout wide receiver DeSean Jackson for "conduct detrimental to the team," the organization announced Friday.

The Eagles didn't disclose Jackson's exact punishment but said the wideout won't be removed from the team for sharing anti-Semitic messages on social media this week. League sources told ESPN and NFL Media that Jackson has been fined an undisclosed amount for the incident.

In addition to the fine, Jackson plans to donate a significant amount to Jewish community efforts, according to ESPN.

"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," the Eagles said in a statement. "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."

On Monday, Jackson posted an image of a quote falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler. He posted additional messages supporting Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has been identified as anti-Semitic and homophobic by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center.

Jackson apologized for his social media posts Tuesday. The Eagles called Jackson's messages "offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling" and promised to take "appropriate action" against him.

Jackson met with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman -- both of whom are Jewish -- on Tuesday. The receiver has since committed to educating himself on the topic and accepted an invitation to tour the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza in Philadelphia.

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, also reached out to Jackson after the incident and invited him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. On Friday, Edelman said he and Jackson spoke.

The Eagles signed Jackson to a three-year contract in March 2019. It is his second stint with the franchise after spending the previous five seasons with the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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