INDEFENSIBLE

Stephen Jackson’s defense of DeSean Jackson proves he’s the ultimate hypocrite

Stephen Jackson’s defense of DeSean Jackson proves he’s the ultimate hypocrite
Photo by Cooper Neill/BIG3/Getty Images.

Former NBA champion and frequent ESPN NBA contributing analyst Stephen Jackson has been an uplifting voice in the wake of the murder of his childhood friend George Floyd. Jackson has been at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement yet has tarnished all the good he has done by defending DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic Adolph Hitler post on Instagram and continuing to come out and double down on his support of the post.

I'm not a genius but I think it goes without saying that anytime you are quoting Hitler, a man responsible for killing 6 million people, you are in the wrong but hey not according to Jackson. Stephen Jackson said on his Instagram that DeSean Jackson's statements were "speaking the truth" and said that DeSean didn't say anything wrong at all. Stephen Jackson went on to say that "the Jews are the richest" and asked an Instagram follower if he knows "who the Rothschilds are?… They control all the banks. They own all the banks." Jackson spouting off untrue stereotypes exposes him for the anti-Semitic hypocrite he is. Jackson also came out and showed his "love" for Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan is a leader of the Nation of Islam and has made numerous anti-Semitic claims in the past.

How can you be a leader in a social equality movement and support anti-Semitism? It's one thing to not condemn it, that's about as hypocritical as it gets but to support it and perpetuate hurtful Jewish stereotypes? How does Stephen Jackson think he's helping to promote any meaningful change in this country? Stephen Jackson should be ashamed of himself and ESPN should think twice about ever giving him a platform again.

Either we are all against hatred and injustice in the country, or we aren't. We don't get to selectively choose what to be outraged about. I know people whose family members were ripped out of their homes, forced to work in concentration camps, and were gassed during the holocaust, so I find anyone defending a quote from Hitler reprehensible and you should too.

At least DeSean Jackson apologized and showed remorse. He deserves a second chance to make up for his actions. However, Stephen Jackson's comments are disgraceful to everyone in our country trying to fight against hate, racism, and bigotry, and if you defend Stephen Jackson in any way you are part of the problem.

You can listen to The Jake Asman Show weekdays from 8 AM -10 AM Central on SB Nation Radio.

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Jake Meyers is the latest Astro to be rushed back from injury too soon. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Houston center fielder Jake Meyers was removed from Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland during pregame warmups because of right calf tightness.

Meyers, who had missed the last two games with a right calf injury, jogged onto the field before the game but soon summoned the training staff, who joined him on the field to tend to him. He remained on the field on one knee as manager Joe Espada joined the group. After a couple minutes, Meyers got up and was helped off the field and to the tunnel in right field by a trainer.

Mauricio Dubón moved from shortstop to center field and Zack Short entered the game to replace Dubón at shortstop.

Meyers is batting .308 with three homers and 21 RBIs this season.

After the game, Meyers met with the media and spoke about the injury. Meyers declined to answer when asked if the latest injury feels worse than the one he sustained Sunday. Wow, that is not a good sign.

 

Lack of imaging strikes again!

The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported on Thursday that the Astros didn't do any imaging on Meyers after the initial injury. You can't make this stuff up. This is exactly the kind of thing that has the Astros return-to-play policy under constant scrutiny.

The All-Star break is right around the corner, why take the risk in playing Meyers after missing just two games with calf discomfort? The guy literally fell to the ground running out to his position before the game started. The people that make these risk vs. reward assessments clearly are making some serious mistakes.

The question remains: will the Astros finally do something about it?


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