The Philadelphia Eagles responded Tuesday morning to a now-deleted social media post by wide receiver DeSean Jackson that included an anti-Semitic message falsely attributed to Adolf Hitler.
In a public statement, the Eagles wrote the quotes Jackson shared were “offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling.”
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The Eagles added that they “reiterated to DeSean the importance of not only apologizing, but also using his platform to take action to promote unity, equality, and respect.”
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 7, 2020
On Monday, Jackson posted an image on Instagram he said was a quote from Hitler that read, “the Jews will blackmail America. (They) will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.”
The quote has been debunked as an Internet meme.
After receiving heavy criticism, Jackson shared another image on Instagram that said people took his post the wrong way.
“Anyone who feels I have hate towards the Jewish community took my post the wrong way,” Jackson wrote. “I have no hatred in my heart toward no one!! Equality. Equality.”
Both posts were removed from Jackson’s account on Tuesday morning. He also shared a video apologizing for the posts.
“This was a mistake to post this and I truly apologize for posting it and sorry for any hurt I have caused,” Jackson wrote.
Jackson had also come under fire for recently sharing quotes from American religious leader Louis Farrakhan.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center have described Farrakhan as being anti-Semitic.
In the statement, the Eagles said the organization was “continuing to evaluate the circumstances and will take appropriate action.”
Jackson signed a 3-year deal with the organization in March of 2019. He is a 12-year veteran of the NFL.