In early July, [DeSean] Jackson landed himself in hot water by sharing a bad quote on Instagram, details Newsweek. In all fairness, it wasn’t just a bad quote. It was a really bad quote. Out of sensitivity, we won’t share the quote here, but the post was originally attributed to Adolf Hitler.
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After 12 seasons in the NFL, Jackson has accrued more than 10,000 yards and 55 touchdowns, as well as three Pro Bowl nods. But there’s another, less rosy side of Jackson’s career. During those 12 seasons, the wide receiver has had 19 season-impacting injuries including numerous concussions, says Bleacher Report.
The subject of concussions is a hot-button topic in the NFL. In 2002, Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered a possible link between NFL players who’d received routine head injuries and a condition called CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
Does Jackson have CTE? It would certainly explain all the wild things he’s been saying. Like quoting fake Hitler on Instagram. But we don’t know anything for a fact, and probably won’t until Jackson gets older.
What it does do is raise deeper questions about players and their mental health. Is behavior like Jackson’s simply ignorance of the power of one’s platform, or is an early symptom of something more menacing like CTE?
Either way, Jackson isn’t off the hook. He’s got some work to do to return to fans’ good graces.
