DeSean Jackson Treatment: Fair or Unjust?

Curiosity is the feeling flooding the city of brotherly love recently. The Philadelphia Eagles released star receiver DeSean Jackson on Friday after weeks of trying to deal him. Jackson is coming off one of his best seasons and at only 27 years of age, is still in his prime.

While we all know the reasons behind the release, curiosity still remains on how much the Eagles actually know about the rumor-flying star.

Rumors of Jackson having ties to gangs is running wild. On the surface, it seems it’s the only reason behind the release, especially considering what happened in New England with Aaron Hernandez. However, do the Eagles know more?

The heart of the issue is this: Did the Eagles go too far? No doubt an NFL team has the right to cut any player it wants for myriad reasons. But it seems very strange that a Chip Kelly-led offense would let go of a guy like this without having serious knowledge of his off-the-field habits.

Jackson, sometimes nicknamed D-Jax, is one of the more explosive players in the game. He’s coming off a season in which he caught 82 balls for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns in the Eagles' spread offense, according to NJ.com. He is unarguably a weapon that any team would dream about having every Sunday.

Rumors about tardiness to team meetings and having a “diva” attitude may have contributed to his release, but the fact that he has not been arrested for anything makes this a strange story.

Should the Eagles be applauded for the bold move? Or did they overreact to rumors about Jackson having ties to gang members? This screams unfair treatment of Jackson based on the strength of the rumors. I could envision Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson popping up any day now, if it was not for the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.

It becomes a very gray area when you cut a guy based on future predictions, and not past arrests. Thank you, Aaron Hernandez.

Don’t feel bad for Jackson just yet, though. He is drawing interest from several teams right now, including the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. He will visit the Redskins this Monday, according to CBS Sports.

What some don’t grasp is that a team is more than a collection of talent. When run properly and functioning on the highest level, the team becomes a family. What we don’t know yet, at this moment, prevents us from having an educated opinion on whether what the Eagles just did is right or wrong.

But realize this: it’s a move that takes a lot of guts, and maybe someday they will be applauded for it.

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.