Richard Sherman for MMQB, on DeSean Jackson & Gang Ties

[zoogs]

Richard Sherman (MMQB): Stardom doesn't change where you're from

 

I’m not going to tell you that DeSean Jackson isn’t in a gang, because I can’t say unequivocally that he isn’t. I can’t tell you whether his friends have done the things police have accused them of doing, because I wasn’t there. I can’t tell you what DeSean does with his time, because we play football on opposite ends of the country. I can only tell you that I believe him to be a good person, and if you think, say or write otherwise without knowing the man, you’re in the wrong.

 

I especially like the part where Sherman takes the Eagles to task for sending Riley Cooper to counseling and rewarding him with a fat contract extension.

 

This offseason they re-signed a player who was caught on video screaming, “I will fight every n—– here.” He was representing the Philadelphia Eagles when he said it, because, of course, everything we do is reflective of the organization. (...)

 

Commit certain crimes in this league and be a certain color, and you get help, not scorn. Look at the way many in the media wrote about Jim Irsay after his DUI arrest. Nobody suggested the Colts owner had “ties” to drug trafficking, even though he was caught driving with controlled substances (prescription pills) and $29,000 in cash to do who-knows-what with. Instead, poor millionaire Mr. Irsay needs help, some wrote.

 

But DeSean Jackson is the menace, right? (...) If only all record label owners were held to this standard, somebody might realize that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg weren’t the bosses behind NWA. Jim Irsay lookalikes in suits were.

[wiuhusker]

Thats a good piece written by Sherman. Pretty hard to disagree with anything he wrote in there.

[QMany]

Oh, the race card. Here we go ...

[wiuhusker]

Oh, the race card. Here we go ...

I understand what you're getting at but it's hard to disagree with his view point about the Riley Cooper situation and how the NFL is now going to flag the use of the N word during games.

[QMany]

It is a no-win situation for the Eagles. They reprimanded Cooper, fined him, and sent him to counseling. What more do people want for them to do? Cooper got hammered and was an idiot to use that word, so now he has "racist ties?" Are we analogizing "racist ties" to "gang affiliation?"

 

It was a cost-benefit analysis by the Eagles to sign Cooper v. Jackson.

 

Player 1:

• 10.57 yards per target
  
• 16.2 yards per catch
  
• 9 TD
  
• Long of 61 yards
  
• $6.8 million in 14, $12 million in 15, and $10.5 million in 16
  
• Possible gang affiliation
  

Player 2:

• 9.95 yards per target
  
• 17.8 yards per catch
  
• 8 TD
  
• Long of 63 yards
  
• $5 million per year
  
• Possible racist
  

[The Dude]

More like Douchean Jackson.

[The Dude]

So does the "Eagles cut Desean Jackson because of gang affiliation" story have any legs at all? It seems to be 100% speculation, from what I've heard/read.

[zoogs]

MMQB's Greg Bedard writes this:

 

2. I think it’s ridiculous how some in the media overreact to stories reported by others, with the DeSean Jackson story being a prime example. To insinuate the Eagles smeared Jackson on the way out the door is just lazy. The story came out, he got released, there must be some connection. Why? From my experience as a beat writer, when you learn that a team is parting ways with a talented player like Jackson, you better be trying to find out why. When I was at the Boston Globe, I reported that the Patriots were likely going to release receiver Brandon Lloyd after a season in which he caught 74 passes because his erratic behavior had grown tiresome. Lloyd was later released and hasn’t played in the league again. By the Jackson rationale, the Patriots must leaked that information to me, right? I wish. My information didn’t come from the team. Jackson is not exactly a model player. He has a high salary. And he had curious connections to gang members. Those are not smear tactics; they’re called facts.

 

3. I think credit should go to writers Eliot Shorr-Parks and A.J. Perez for fleshing out the Jackson situation. I will say that NJ.com invited some of the trouble by using the headline, “DeSean Jackson’s gang connections troubling to Eagles” and overdramatizing those connections. Was that part of the story? Yes. Was it a fact? Yes. Was it the main reason why Jackson was released? Heck no. Even the story said that. Jackson was released because he’s been a problem to the team internally, for a variety of reasons, for years. Former coach Andy Reid dealt with it; new coach Chip Kelly, after one season, decided he wasn’t going to do that. It’s his prerogative. People around the league knew about Jackson’s loose connections with gang members back home for years. It was new information to the public, but not anyone around the league.

 

4. I think everything truly important in the Jackson story was revealed when we heard crickets from his former teammates. To date, only LeSean McCoy has said anything—“He’ll definitely be missed,” to FoxSports.com—and that was fairly tepid support. If the Eagles had done Jackson wrong, you better believe his teammates would have been leaking like sieves to reporters. Yet, there has been nothing. The gang conversation is just bright colors and loud noises to distract from the bottom line.

 

http://mmqb.si.com/2...-quarterback/4/

 

So, it does sound kind of like it originated in the media. From this perspective, Richard Sherman still lands a good hit when he points out MMQB's Peter King's compassionate take on Jim Irsay....which may not be unfair, but it's in striking contrast to the tone struck here on Jackson.

[Danny Bateman]

It is a no-win situation for the Eagles. They reprimanded Cooper, fined him, and sent him to counseling. What more do people want for them to do? Cooper got hammered and was an idiot to use that word, so now he has "racist ties?" Are we analogizing "racist ties" to "gang affiliation?"

 

It was a cost-benefit analysis by the Eagles to sign Cooper v. Jackson.

 

Player 1:

• 10.57 yards per target
  
• 16.2 yards per catch
  
• 9 TD
  
• Long of 61 yards
  
• $6.8 million in 14, $12 million in 15, and $10.5 million in 16
  
• Possible gang affiliation
  

Player 2:

• 9.95 yards per target
  
• 17.8 yards per catch
  
• 8 TD
  
• Long of 63 yards
  
• $5 million per year
  
• Possible racist
  

 

 

MMQB's Greg Bedard writes this:

 

2. I think it’s ridiculous how some in the media overreact to stories reported by others, with the DeSean Jackson story being a prime example. To insinuate the Eagles smeared Jackson on the way out the door is just lazy. The story came out, he got released, there must be some connection. Why? From my experience as a beat writer, when you learn that a team is parting ways with a talented player like Jackson, you better be trying to find out why. When I was at the Boston Globe, I reported that the Patriots were likely going to release receiver Brandon Lloyd after a season in which he caught 74 passes because his erratic behavior had grown tiresome. Lloyd was later released and hasn’t played in the league again. By the Jackson rationale, the Patriots must leaked that information to me, right? I wish. My information didn’t come from the team. Jackson is not exactly a model player. He has a high salary. And he had curious connections to gang members. Those are not smear tactics; they’re called facts.

 

3. I think credit should go to writers Eliot Shorr-Parks and A.J. Perez for fleshing out the Jackson situation. I will say that NJ.com invited some of the trouble by using the headline, “DeSean Jackson’s gang connections troubling to Eagles” and overdramatizing those connections. Was that part of the story? Yes. Was it a fact? Yes. Was it the main reason why Jackson was released? Heck no. Even the story said that. Jackson was released because he’s been a problem to the team internally, for a variety of reasons, for years. Former coach Andy Reid dealt with it; new coach Chip Kelly, after one season, decided he wasn’t going to do that. It’s his prerogative. People around the league knew about Jackson’s loose connections with gang members back home for years. It was new information to the public, but not anyone around the league.

 

4. I think everything truly important in the Jackson story was revealed when we heard crickets from his former teammates. To date, only LeSean McCoy has said anything—“He’ll definitely be missed,” to FoxSports.com—and that was fairly tepid support. If the Eagles had done Jackson wrong, you better believe his teammates would have been leaking like sieves to reporters. Yet, there has been nothing. The gang conversation is just bright colors and loud noises to distract from the bottom line.

 

http://mmqb.si.com/2...-quarterback/4/

 

So, it does sound kind of like it originated in the media. From this perspective, Richard Sherman still lands a good hit when he points out MMQB's Peter King's compassionate take on Jim Irsay....which may not be unfair, but it's in striking contrast to the tone struck here on Jackson.

So does the "Eagles cut Desean Jackson because of gang affiliation" story have any legs at all? It seems to be 100% speculation, from what I've heard/read.

QMany, the cap situation certainly didn't hurt things. It wasn't the main factor, but Jackson WAS becoming a bit expensive to have around for a piece we didn't need, albeit a very nice one. A little known fact reported is that Jackson was discontent with even THAT ridiculous contract. He wanted another extension with more guaranteed money. He was the 5th highest paid WR in the league as is, IIRC. Plus, you nailed it on Riley-- he sure came off as a jagoff for his comments, but did everything he did to own it. Desean, on the other hand, never took responsibility for any of his shortcomings. Foles also has a ridiculous chemistry with Cooper. Maybe Foles is the racist....?

 

The media took advantage of the timing of the gang story and pounced on it to create an alternate reality to what actually transpired. The gang thing obviously didn't help, but he was released because he was a PAIN in the @SS that Chip and the rest of the team was tired of dealing with.

 

It's been reported by former/current players (unnamed) that he would push Kelly in a way that a little kid pushes boundaries with their parents. He wanted to see how much leash he could get and exactly what he could get away with. He was late to meetings frequently, lazy at times, and basically spent more time working on his rap label than he committed to the team. He needed to go if the Eagles were going to successfully create the culture they want for their team.

 

I'm a diehard Eagles fan. Basically, Desean is an extremely talented WR who is surprisingly tough for the tiny guy that he is, but he's a selfish, self-centered jerk who spent too much time worrying about his life off the field than his team. That's why we was let go.