Bad history
Philadelphia wide receiver expresses remorse after sharing fake Hitler quote
Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson apologizes for Adolf Hitler reference.
Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson apologized Tuesday for his recent Instagram posts, in which he praised Louis Farrakhan and shared a text that included a fake Adolf Hitler quote.
Jackson’s attempt to explain and express remorse included a statement and a video, in which he said he “didn’t intend any harm or hatred,” and he disavowed any approval of Hitler.
“I really didn’t understand what this passage was saying,” Jackson wrote. “Hitler has caused terrible pain to Jewish people like the pain African Americans have suffered. We should be together fighting anti-Semitism and racism.”
In the accompanying video, Jackson said, in part: “I post things on my story all the time, and just probably never should have posted anything that Hitler did, because Hitler was a bad person, and I know that. I was just trying to uplift
African Americans, and slavery, and just enlighten my people.”
Jackson’s apology came as the team released a statement that said the views Jackson endorsed on Instagram “have no place in our society and are not condoned or supported in any way by the organization.”
The statement indicated the team will take further action — perhaps a fine — and outlined what the team feels Jackson needs to do to.
On Sunday, Jackson highlighted several paragraphs from a text purporting to quote Hitler saying that Black people were the “real Children of Israel” and falsely claiming that white Jewish people were secretly behind horrendous acts of violence against people of color, including lynching.
Browns
Cleveland renegotiated defensive end Olivier Vernon’s massive contract for next season, a person familiar with the talks said Tuesday. Vernon’s future with the Browns seemed uncertain as he was set to make $15.25 million — the largest current one-year contract on Cleveland’s roster — in 2020. But the club reworked his deal and he’ll earn $11 million, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not publicly disclosing the agreement. ESPN was first to report Vernon will get a $7 million signing bonus, $3.75 million base salary, $250,000 workout bonus and $2 million in incentives. Vernon, 29, joined the Browns last season after coming over from the New York Giants in the blockbuster trade that brought wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland.
Ravens
Baltimore quarterback and South Florida native Lamar Jackson canceled his annual “Funday with LJ” event this weekend in Broward County, a spokesperson for the event confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. With strict social-distancing guidelines in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city of Pompano Beach, Fla., had set limits on the event’s attendance, the spokesperson said. Because of the number of people registered, Jackson decided to cancel rather than turn people away.