Earlier this week New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, posted a long video message to Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who has been facing criticism this week for a series of anti-Semitic social media posts.
As a result, the two apparently had a long conversation on Thursday night and are planning on using their experiences "to educate one another and grow together", the Patriots receiver tweeted on Friday morning:
DeSean and I spoke for awhile last night. We're making plans to use our experiences to educate one another and grow together. Stay tuned.✊--✊--✊--✊--✊--@DeSeanJackson10
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) July 10, 2020In the video posted earlier this week, Edelman extended an invitation to Jackson to visit both the Holocaust Museum and the African American History and Culture museum together in Washington D.C.
Here is a transcript of Edelman's full video message, via WEEI:
"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."
Jackson has since apologized for the series of anti-Semitic posts, one of which featured a page from a book that included a quote from Adolf Hitler.
The Eagles released a statement about Jackson's posts on Instagram, calling them "offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling."
