DeSean Jackson blasts Eagles on his new TV show
It appears that DeSean Jackson still hasn’t gotten over his unceremonious departure from the Philadelphia Eagles.
On the first episode of Jackson’s BET reality show, “DeSean Jackson Home Team,” the Washington Redskins wideout was loud and clear about his former team, which released him last March following his best statistical season as a pro.
“I was at the top of the top. And then I got released. … It was a smear campaign,” Jackson said in the beginning of the show, per ESPN.com. “Things media said about me, I bet you could say that about the majority of people in the NFL. I got a second chance to play in the NFL and I’m proving I’m one of the best receivers in the game.”
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The “smear campaign” comment presumably is in reference to a report that intimated Jackson had “gang ties” in Los Angeles, which concerned the Eagles. After the report emerged, Jackson acknowledged that he knows people who are involved in gangs, but said he has never been in one.
Kelly and the Eagles said Jackson’s release was a “football decision.”
On his show, Jackson said the Eagles tried to portray him in a negative light.
“When I was released by the Eagles, I feel they tried to paint a picture that definitely wasn’t true. It was a slap in the face, coming off one of my best seasons in the NFL,” Jackson said on the show.
He then told his friends, “The Eagles tried to blow me up. That’s cold how they did it.”
To which one unnamed friend said, “Like they tried to persecute you from where you come from, bro.”
Jackson agreed.
“That’s why I think they fired me. Have I went to jail? … I ain’t done none of that.”
Following his release, Jackson stayed in the NFC East and signed with the Redskins. In his first season in Washington, Jackson caught 56 passes for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns, including nine catches, 243 yards and a score in two games combined against the Eagles.
Jackson, who said on his show that he’s the league’s “No. 1 receiver,” has plans to keep putting up big numbers against NFC East teams moving forward.
Also during the show, someone at a racetrack – where Jackson had served as a grand marshal – asked him what he thought about the Cowboys.
“I don’t care too much about the Cowboys. I’m called a Cowboy killer,” Jackson said. “They call me the Cowboy killer. I’m a Giants killer, I’m a Cowboys killer, now I’m an Eagles killer, too.”
In his six seasons in Philadelphia, Jackson registered 356 receptions for 6,117 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also tallied four punt return touchdowns and three scores on the ground.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
