DeSean Jackson: Eagles 'tried to blow me up' after release

ByJohn Keim ESPN logo
Wednesday, July 1, 2015

DeSean Jackson said the Philadelphia Eagles "tried to blow me up" with a "smear campaign" after the wide receiver was released by the team in 2014.

Jackson, who is now with the Washington Redskins, revealed parts of his personal life and his football career during Tuesday's debut of his new BET reality show "DeSean Jackson Home Team." And whether or not he's still scarred by what happened at the end of his Eagles career, it remains a topic in his life.

"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."

In the first shots on the show, Jackson said, "I was at the top of the top. And then I got released. ... It was a smear campaign. 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."

Jackson rebounded last season with the Redskins, catching 56 passes for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns. He also had an NFL-best 13 catches for 40-plus yards.

He didn't bring up those numbers in a discussion at a recording studio with his mom and sister, who were pleading with him to focus more on football.

"I had an awesome year and I'm going to have another awesome year," Jackson told them. "End of the day, I play football at a high level so I don't care too less anything about nothing. Go look up the No. 1 receiver in the NFL. I'm the No. 1 receiver. So I'm not getting caught up. I know what I can do."

Jackson said he worked out seven days a week in the offseason -- two hours in the morning and another session at night. BET showed one workout, with his buddies putting him through drills and throwing him balls.

"I work hard and I play hard," Jackson said.

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."

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