There have been reports of this coming for a while. My guess is an internal source threatened to make things public and they had to flat out cut him in order to distance themselves and make him look like the bad guy.
Desean Jackson has been a Royce White - sized pain in the @ss for the Eagles' FO for years. He has been a classic malcontent - no matter how much they accommodate him, he finds something else to sulk about. Any gang allegations are just icing on the cake. I would bet they've been fantasizing about doing this for a long time.
Eagles gave him a new contract last off-season and you think they didn't know about his off the field stuff? He would still be there if Andy Reid was the coach but it's pretty obvious he is gone because of Chip Kelly. If NFL teams are cutting teams for alleged association with the wrong people then a lot of NFL players would be on the free agent market.
Was DeSean Jackson arrested for murder and banned from the NFL? Did I miss something? A player with a completely non-guaranteed contract was released at no cost to the team. It happens, even to pro-bowl players.
I don't think he was saying that but a lot of people have said that they feared this becoming an Aaron Hernandez situation. which I don't think was the case. The whole gang and off the field thing is a cop out it had more to do with his contract situation once again.
It's more than just random alleged associations with bad people. It's being directly connected to two gang members involved in separate murders, one of which took place on a property Jackson owned. It's flashing that specific gang's symbols on national TV and in photos. It's posting pictures of him and said gang member while the guy is on trial for murder. There are a lot of a specifics to these alleged assocations that makes them not really alleged. That's not to say he's done anything illegal, of course, or even anything unethical. But this isn't just "he acts like a thug, thus we don't like him." These are very specific and public ties. http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2014/03/eagles_desean_jackson_off-the-field_troubles.html Odds are, if he doesn't have work ethic issues and other conflicts with management, none of this matters. But it's probably the final straw with a team that was already frustrated with him.
I don't think it was about the contract - that was team-friendly and had no guaranteed money. And for his production, he was paid a pretty reasonable price. I think it was an issue of him not being a hard worker, missing meetings, etc - and that doesn't fit the culture Chip Kelly was creating. I agree that the gang stuff is just an extra piece rather than the core of what got him cut.
I agree with your last two post. On the contract thing I was talking about him apparently saying after the season he deserved another one. I heard that taken out of context. The problem I have with the missed meetings and stuff like that is why did they not discipline him during the season. Also find it odd that Chip Kelly and Desean met and Desean came out saying what a great meeting it was and how ready he was to play for the Eagles this season. I don't think he was expecting this.
Just keeping you guys updated from the DC area but word has it Skins/DeSean are close to a deal...... man on man First Take should be fun to watch the rest of the week.
LOL yeah im sure billionaire Synder is losing sleep over a beat writer quitting. Once Jackson runs back a punt or catches a td that writer will be kissing his ass.
Why would a reporter quit his job over signing Jackson? I get that the guy is a bit of a hassle off the field, but ON the field, he's been a stud. It's a decent risk to take for a team like Washington.
I hope this happens because it will add fire to Eagles/Redskins games. That is the only NFC East match up I don't care about.
nice lineup theyll have.... RG3 / Alfred Morris in the backfield. Jordan Reed at TE. Jackson and Garcon spread out wide. Andre Roberts in the slot. Improved offensive line. Filled a couple holes on defense with the signings of Hatcher and Ryan Clark but lets see what happens in the draft. I'm hoping for Cyril Richardson or Kelvin Benjamin.
It would've been a major distraction in the regular season and unfair to the rest of the team in the midst of a playoff run. Chip is a genius and he knows what he's doing.
