Stephen Jackson faces backlash for defending DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic posts

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who has so far been a leading voice in the protests against the death of his friend George Floyd, was on the receiving end of some heavy criticism from fans on Wednesday. The former NBA champion face backlash from fans after he defended DeSean Jackson for his anti-Semitic posts. Stephen Jackson posted a video message to Instagram (it has now been deleted) to say DeSean Jackson was "speaking the truth" with his social media posts and was "educating himself."

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DeSean Jackson anti-Semitic posts: What did DeSean Jackson say?

The DeSean Jackson anti-Semitic posts created a major controversy this week after the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver posted an anti-Semitic quote attributed to Adolf Hitler. The quote said white Jews 'will blackmail America. (They) will extort America, their plan for world domination won't work if the Negroes know who they were.' The Eagles wide receiver also shared a couple of posts to Instagram where he expressed admiration for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whom the Anti-Defamation League has identified as anti-Semitic. DeSean Jackson has since deleted the posts.

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The 33-year-old was condemned by the NFL as well as the Eagles, who called the DeSean Jackson anti-Semitic posts as "offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling." The wide receiver then issued two separate apologies to social media and even promised to educate himself and be better. 

Stephen Jackson anti-Semitic controversy, defending DeSean Jackson

Stephen Jackson posted a video to Instagram on Tuesday where he said: "So I just read a statement that the Philadelphia Eagles posted regarding DeSean Jackson's comments. He was trying to educate himself, educate people, and he's speaking the truth. Right? He's speaking the truth."

Amid outrage from fans on social media, Stephen Jackson doubled down on his previous comments with another post:

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The Stephen Jackson anti-Semitic controversy soon captured the attention of Showtime, the sponsors of Jackson's 'All The Smoke' podcast. Showtime issued a statement to the New York Post where it stated: “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."

On Wednesday, the former NBA player apologised for his comments stating he should have been clearer with his words. Stephen Jackson insisted he does not support anti-Semitism, nor did he refer to Adolf Hitler or DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic comments while addressing the issue. "I could've changed those words, but the people that know me - my Jewish friends that I talked to today - they know that the last thing I was spewing was to defend Hitler or any other post," he told CNN.

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(Image Credits: Stephen Jackson, DeSean Jackson Instagram)