Showtime denounces podcaster Stephen Jackson's comments on DeSean Jackson's Hitler post
Controversy has surrounded former NBA player Stephen Jackson since he tried to defend an Instagram story from DeSean Jackson in which the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver shared a fake quote from Adolf Hitler.
Stephen Jackson posted a since-deleted video on Instagram in which he said DeSean Jackson was “trying to educate himself” and “speaking the truth.” While DeSean Jackson has apologized repeatedly for his posts, Stephen Jackson has since doubled down repeatedly.
That activity has caught the attention of Showtime, which produces Stephen Jackson’s podcast “All the Smoke” with fellow NBA veteran Matt Barnes.
Showtime reacts to Stephen Jackson
In a 25-word statement released to the New York Post, Showtime denounced Stephen Jackson’s comments, but stopped short of announcing any sort of repercussions.
“We are aware of Stephen Jackson’s recent statements. Regardless of his intentions, Stephen’s comments were hurtful and inconsistent with the values espoused by this network.”
Since his retirement from the NBA in 2015, Jackson has been a busy man. In addition to “All the Smoke,” Stephen Jackson has competed in BIG3 and made frequent media appearances, including ESPN’s “The Jump.” The host of that show, Rachel Nichols, posted a tweet Wednesday noting that he hadn’t worked for ESPN in some time and said she was disappointed by his comments.
Stephen Jackson hasn’t worked for ESPN for a while now so it would be impossible for him to “lose his gig.”
I was so proud of the way Stephen stood up for George Floyd. I was so disappointed to see his anti-Semitic comments. But he’s hardly the only one & I’m sad about all of it https://t.co/e25WCzHS2E— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 8, 2020
Stephen Jackson has also become a prominent name in the discourse around the killing of his friend George Floyd earlier this year, and had attempted to portray the reaction his and DeSean Jackson’s comments as another example of racial inequality.
Stephen Jackson keeps on talking
He has noted the Eagles’ lackluster reaction to former wide receiver Riley Cooper’s infamous N-word video, which consisted of a condemnation and a fine. Of course, the consequences DeSean Jackson has so far faced for posting a debunked Hitler quote accusing Jews of an anti-Black conspiracy has been a condemnation and offers for further education.
Stephen Jackson continued talking about the matter on Wednesday on Instagram Live by peddling an anti-Semitic trope about Jews, specifically the Rothschilds, of controlling the world’s banks and claiming he had said nothing untrue. His comments were interspersed with a few refrains of “F--- Hitler.”
In another Instagram video, Stephen Jackson accused the Jewish community of taking his video the wrong way and claiming his words were taken out of context.
From NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman:
Today’s word is assume. Assume.
To all my Jewish people, I love y’all. Y’all took the video the wrong way. I said he was right stemming from a conversation we had before I got on Live about how they’re handling him and how they handled Cooper when he said the n-word. They didn’t handle them the same way, and that wasn’t right. And that’s what I was talking about. I love y’all. You’ll never find a video or article of me saying I hate anybody. Let me clear that up.
Assume. Today’s word. As a black man, you get pulled over by the police, they assume you’re about to run. They assume you’ve got drugs in the car. They assume you’ve got a gun. They assume the worst, right?
I didn’t say nothing about Jews or supporting Hitler at all in that video. But that’s what they assume I said. And y’all wonder why we’re fighting for equality. Because y’all assume the worst from a black man. I love everybody. I’ve always stood that way. Love for all who have love for all. So, why would you assume I hate somebody?
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