Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson issued two separate apologies Tuesday after previously writing Instagram posts, one attributed to Adolf Hitler about white Jews blackmailing America and others praising National of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
The Eagles called Jackson's posts "offensive, harmful, and absolutely appalling" and said they would take "appropriate action," ESPN reported.
Team owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are Jewish.
The posts in question featured a quote he attributed to Hitler that said white Jews "will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won't work if the Negroes know who they were."
Additionally, he had two other posts – Saturday and Monday – hailing Farrakhan, whom the Anti-Defamation League has identified as anti-Semitic. Those posts have since been deleted.
The NFL called Jackson's comments "highly inappropriate, offensive, and divisive."
Jackson issued one apology on Instagram on Tuesday:
"I do not have hatred towards anyone. I really didn't realize what this passage was saying. Hitler has caused terrible pain to Jewish people like the pain African-Americans have suffered. We should be together fighting anti-Semitism and racism. This was a mistake to post this and I truly apologize for posting it and sorry for any hurt I have caused."
He followed that with a Twitter post that apologized to Lurie and Roseman:
"I want to apologize to the Jewish community, Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman, [coach] Doug Pederson, the Eagles organization and our fans for the insensitive and ill-informed posts that I shared on my social media. My intention was to uplift, unite, and encourage our culture with positivity and light. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I unintentionally hurt the Jewish community in the process and for that I am sorry! Now more than ever we must work together to end discrimination of all types and against all people and communities.
"This apology is more than just words – it is a promise to do better."
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