The Philadelphia Eagles recently decided to cut their best wide receiver DeSean Jackson, using vague reasoning, citing his alleged bad attitude and work ethic in his craft. Not mentioned was his alleged ties and friendships with Los Angeles gang members, some of whom he has known since he was a kid. Right. It must be noted that Jackson had just finished the best year of his career on the field last year and has been a good guy off of it for his entire NFL career. The same cannot be said of many other players, including current and former teammates nor draftees in the next month's NFL draft. I understand the NFL has been trying to be tougher with maintaining a clean-cut image with its players and other personnel, especially with the recent off-the field situations involving current and former players and even front office executives and a current NFL owner. Whatever.
The NFL has tried to do a lot of things, but have also failed at some of them. Their hearts may be in the right place, BUT with that said, a group of obscenely rich White men about to start trying (through new on and off-field rules) to tell their employees, most of whom did NOT come from a rich, much less middle-class background AND most of whom (I mean NFL players specifically) are either Black and/or of mixed heritage that they should not use the N-word on the field (right) in any form, fellow players, especially of the same color, especially when a similar mandate IS NOT going to be in place for similar terms for other ethnic groups, ESPECIALLY White folk, is a joke. The N-word is wrong. Period. I don't use it. EVER. Not even on this blog. Members of my family, friends and others (some whom are not even Black (WTF??) ) use the term in all its forms, all the time in my presence. I let it go, and they know and RESPECT I don't use it. I have plenty of other bad words I (can) use freely when needed.
The Eagles and coach Chip Kelly may have decided to dump Jackson for the above reasons stated. He is a diva-like wide receiver who thinks he is the s**** among wide receivers. The thing is that for the most part, he has backed it up on the field. He is NOT the biggest receiver around, like a Calvin Johnson, Jr. or a Jerry Rice and the like. But he is a electrifying player with the ball in his hands. You can check NFL Network or YouTube for proof of that. But the Eagles did NOT specifically say that Jackson's "friendships" with alleged gang members and/or alleged murderers is what got him kicked out of Philly. Not in public. IF they told him that in private...that is another thing. If so, Jackson is being the bigger man for not speaking on it...so far..in public.
The Eagles did what they felt was right (though it may be proven to be really dumb later) and so did Washington for signing him. They, like most of the NFL teams, can use a talent like Jackson. If these "allegations" are later proven true, then the Redskins will have to deal with them. That would not change if my Raiders had signed him, or Dallas or the Giants, or even Seattle or Jacksonville had signed Jackson to a multi-year deal with 2/3 of the money guaranteed. Give the Eagles credit for having negotiated a re-signing contract with Jackson a couple of years that left so much of the money not guaranteed, so they had the option of doing this without destroying their remaining cap space for the next 3 years or more. The Redskins may welcome this Jackson scrutiny, considering the mess they are still dealing with over their team name (more on THAT in another entry!). This was a business move. Period.
However, Jackson himself has done nothing wrong and has committed NO crimes. (If and when) Until he does (if ever), you have to respect DeSean Jackson as a man, just like we all had to respect Michael Vick, before he got into trouble, while he was in prison, and how he has acted after he served his time and got a job with these same Eagles, worked hard and proved himself as a player and a man again. Vick and current Eagles receiver Riley Cooper, who is White, DID do reprehensible things and paid prices for them (Vick more than Cooper, of course). They were both given second chances and have made the most of them so far. Jackson deserves to continue his FIRST chance...since he HAS NOT done anything wrong to anyone, as of today. Revise your thoughts about DeSean Jackson if and when he does something wrong, NOT before.
The NFL has tried to do a lot of things, but have also failed at some of them. Their hearts may be in the right place, BUT with that said, a group of obscenely rich White men about to start trying (through new on and off-field rules) to tell their employees, most of whom did NOT come from a rich, much less middle-class background AND most of whom (I mean NFL players specifically) are either Black and/or of mixed heritage that they should not use the N-word on the field (right) in any form, fellow players, especially of the same color, especially when a similar mandate IS NOT going to be in place for similar terms for other ethnic groups, ESPECIALLY White folk, is a joke. The N-word is wrong. Period. I don't use it. EVER. Not even on this blog. Members of my family, friends and others (some whom are not even Black (WTF??) ) use the term in all its forms, all the time in my presence. I let it go, and they know and RESPECT I don't use it. I have plenty of other bad words I (can) use freely when needed.
The Eagles and coach Chip Kelly may have decided to dump Jackson for the above reasons stated. He is a diva-like wide receiver who thinks he is the s**** among wide receivers. The thing is that for the most part, he has backed it up on the field. He is NOT the biggest receiver around, like a Calvin Johnson, Jr. or a Jerry Rice and the like. But he is a electrifying player with the ball in his hands. You can check NFL Network or YouTube for proof of that. But the Eagles did NOT specifically say that Jackson's "friendships" with alleged gang members and/or alleged murderers is what got him kicked out of Philly. Not in public. IF they told him that in private...that is another thing. If so, Jackson is being the bigger man for not speaking on it...so far..in public.
The Eagles did what they felt was right (though it may be proven to be really dumb later) and so did Washington for signing him. They, like most of the NFL teams, can use a talent like Jackson. If these "allegations" are later proven true, then the Redskins will have to deal with them. That would not change if my Raiders had signed him, or Dallas or the Giants, or even Seattle or Jacksonville had signed Jackson to a multi-year deal with 2/3 of the money guaranteed. Give the Eagles credit for having negotiated a re-signing contract with Jackson a couple of years that left so much of the money not guaranteed, so they had the option of doing this without destroying their remaining cap space for the next 3 years or more. The Redskins may welcome this Jackson scrutiny, considering the mess they are still dealing with over their team name (more on THAT in another entry!). This was a business move. Period.
However, Jackson himself has done nothing wrong and has committed NO crimes. (If and when) Until he does (if ever), you have to respect DeSean Jackson as a man, just like we all had to respect Michael Vick, before he got into trouble, while he was in prison, and how he has acted after he served his time and got a job with these same Eagles, worked hard and proved himself as a player and a man again. Vick and current Eagles receiver Riley Cooper, who is White, DID do reprehensible things and paid prices for them (Vick more than Cooper, of course). They were both given second chances and have made the most of them so far. Jackson deserves to continue his FIRST chance...since he HAS NOT done anything wrong to anyone, as of today. Revise your thoughts about DeSean Jackson if and when he does something wrong, NOT before.
No comments:
Post a Comment