A member of the Philadelphia Eagles who once made headlines for reaching out to a local bullying victim was recently back in the news for a different type of public display.
During a radio show late last month, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson referred to a caller as a “gay-ass faggot.”
After initially seeming to defend his comments, Jackson has since apologized.
In a statement provided to PGN, Eagles spokesperson Derek Boyko denounced Jackson’s remarks.
“Due to the NFL lockout, we are not permitted to communicate with our players or their representatives and, thus, we were unable to share with DeSean Jackson our feelings on how inappropriate and unacceptable those comments were,” Boyko said. “But we were satisfied to learn that he came to the same conclusion and issued an apology for his comments.”
The exchange came during the June 30 “All Out Show with Rude Jude and Lord Sear,” a hip-hop program on SiriusXM’s Shade 45.
A caller asked Jackson about having “his dick knocked in the dirt” — an expression that may have been referring to an on-field injury he sustained.
Jackson was apparently angered by the caller and responded: “What type of question is that? Say ‘no homo,’ gay-ass faggot.”
The comments were publicized online about a week later, and on July 8 Jackson took to Twitter to apparently defend himself from the negative press.
In two separate posts, the player tweeted: “THEY LOOKING 2 TAKE YA DOWN AT ALL TIMES NO MATTER HOW POSITIVE AND WHAT U DO!! ITS ALWAYS AWAY THEY TRY TO GET YA. IM STANDIN TALL” and “WANNA BRING ME DOWN BUT IM OK!! THEY TRYIN KNOCC ME OFF BUT IM STILL ON!!”
The following day, however, Jackson tweeted an apology with a decidedly different tone.
“I am sorry for using words that I know to be hurtful and unacceptable in a recent radio interview,” he wrote. “I have made a mistake and would like to make it clear that words I used meant no disrespect to the gay and lesbian community. Intolerance is unacceptable and I apologize to anyone I have offended.”
Brian Sims, Equality Pennsylvania board president and chair of the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, lectures around the nation on ways to alleviate homophobia in sports communities.
Sims noted that the Jackson flap reflects the need for stronger direction from professional sports leaders on issues of LGBT sensitivity.
“DeSean Jackson’s comments highlight why we need to start hearing directly from the league owners and executives,” he said. “Only when we see leadership from the top to end discrimination against LGBT players and fans, like we’ve seen in Europe, will we see meaningful change here in the United States.”
Wayne Knaub, commissioner of the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League, comprised primarily of LGBT players, said Jackson’s apology is a step in the right direction, but needs follow-through.
“We may never know if this statement was prompted by his agent or a public-relations specialist or if Mr. Jackson truly meant no disrespect, as he stated in his apology. Only time will tell if his apology is heartfelt by choosing different words to use in the future when presented with a similar situation,” Knaub said. “Hopefully, the silver lining of this situation will be that other athletes choose their words more wisely and that young fans who look up to Mr. Jackson will think twice before using the same words to bully another person.”
The GPFFL last year made an “It Gets Better” video to reach out to LGBT athletes who face homophobia, and Knaub suggested that the Eagles also participate in the project to send an important statement that anti-LGBT sentiments are not tolerated by the club.
Boyko said the Eagles staff is aware of the campaign but has not been approached about making a video yet.
Jackson’s comments come after his recent crusade against bullying at schools throughout the region, where he’s spoken out about diversity and acceptance.
Earlier this year, he garnered praise for his surprise visit to “The View,” where he gave the jersey he was wearing to a Pennsylvania student who was being interviewed about his experiences as a bullying victim.
During his “View” appearance, Jackson was accompanied by Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who also has dedicated numerous public appearances to the issue of school bullying.
Last summer, Herremans got into his own hot water with the LGBT community after complaining on Twitter about the number of gay characters on HBO’s “True Blood.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].