Last weekend, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson had a series of anti-Semitic Instagram posts, which he's since apologized for.
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, came out with an Instagram video of his own Thursday morning responding.
“It’s a complicated issue and I wanted to be thoughtful," he said.
Edelman extended an invitation to Jackson to join him in Washington D.C for a visit to the Holocaust Museum as well as the museum of African American History and Culture. Afterwards, they can have "those uncomfortable conversations."
“I have seen DeSean play in his career, make outstanding football plays, communicated over social media," the Patriots wide receiver said. "I have nothing but respect for his game. I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation.
“I am proud of my Jewish heritage. For me, it is not just about religion. It is about community and culture as well. I am unusual because I didn’t identify as Jewish until later in my life. Whenever I encountered hatred, it never really felt like it was aimed at me. It was only after I was part of this community that I learned how destructive hate is. Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of hatred. It’s rooted in ignorance and fear.
“I remember experiencing a little bit of this hate in 2011 when I was called a kike on the football field. There is no room for anti-Semitism in this world. Even though we’re talking about anti-Semitism I don’t want to distract from how important the Black Lives Matter movement is and how we need to stay behind it. I think the Black and Jewish communities have a lot of similarities.
“One, an unfortunate similarity is that they are both attacked by the ignorant and the hateful. It’s really hard to see the challenges a community can face when you’re not a part of it. So what we need to do is, we need to listen. We need to learn. And we need to act. We need to have these uncomfortable conversations if we’re going to have real change.
“So to that end, DeSean, let’s do a deal. How about we go to DC and I take you to the Holocaust Museum and then you take me to the museum of African American History and Culture. Afterwards, we’ll grab some burgers and we have those uncomfortable conversations.
“This world needs a little more love, compassion and empathy. Take care.”
A post shared by Julian Edelman (@edelman11) on Jul 9, 2020 at 4:36am PDT
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