DeSean Jackson will make the Redskins a better team. No one is debating that fact. This is not Deion trying to get one last pay check, or Bruce Smith trying to get one last paycheck, or Adam Archuletta trying to get one last paycheck. This is a player who is coming off his best statistical season of his career who happens to be one of the best receivers in the league. So why is there dissension within the rank and file of HTTR nation? Because some paper in New Jersey decided to yell "BOMB" on an airplane and attach a word to DeSean Jackson that, in a post Aaron Hernandez world, is tantamount to leprosy. Gang. That's right. DeSean Jackson was in the same article as the word "gang" and in today's NFL whatever story comes after that is irrelevant. DeSean Jackson is a member of the Crips with a bad attitude and a penchant for being a locker room cancer. The short-sighted faithless of the Redskins fan base state that bringing Jackson here will not be worth the price tag because he will only cause headaches with his poor teammate moniker and alleged illegal activity. But the Redskins have signed people who have done far worse, and two examples of high profile players succeeding after ACTUAL crimes they allegedly committed may give the Redskins hope that he can overcome these stigmas with a change of scenery.
Jackson's gang relations have been written about ad nauseam. Bill Barnwell gives a great article about the whole situation on his Grantland page. The gist of Jackson's transgressions are that a guy who recorded on his rap label was charged with a murder, and another murder happened outside of a business that was owned or leased by a member of Jackson's family. Also Jackson was noted as flashing a Crips sign at DeAngelo Hall this season, and he had an unreported pot possession bust after a traffic stop. So all Jackson has done is associate with alleged criminals and flash gang signs during a game. But the haters are right. We can't have that kind of distraction in this locker room. It's not like we signed a guy who killed someone while drunk driving, cut him, and then signed him again. That would be crazy, right? And we can't have guys flashing gang signs in a Redskins uniform. What's next? Signing a guy who steps on players' heads when their helmets are off? You need to understand that there is no coming back from alleged gang affiliations that cannot be supported by any credible evidence. Once a player has committed a crime their career is over, no matter what team they go to. Right?
For the most part, yes. Most players who get arrested for crimes above speeding are usually middling level players who are of no major consequence. A great website gives you a list of all NFL arrests for these offenses since 2000, but two players poke holes in the notion Redskins fans have that DeSean Jackson cannot be rehabilitated. Keep in mind that these two players were ACTUALLY arrested for alleged crimes, and were directly involved in violent altercations that Jackson has not even sniffed to the best of our knowledge. The first player is Brandon Marshall. As a member of the Broncos, Marshall was arrested three times from March 2007-March 2008 for domestic violence and DUI. Then there was the incident in 2007 where Marshall was witness to the murder of a teammate and he admitted he may have escalated the situation. This did not stop Miami from trading a second round pick to the Broncos for Marshall, and signing him to a 4 year $47 million extension in 2010. Marshall was able to put up two 1000 yard seasons with Matt Moore and Chad Henne at the helm, and he has shown himself to be one of the best receivers in the league the past two seasons with Chicago. Jackson's "gang affiliations" are not looking so bad now are they? And they are nothing compared to Marshawn Lynch. As a memeber of the Bills, Lynch was charged in 2008 with a hit-and-run of a pedestrian, and he was charged in 2009 with a felony gun charge that was later bumped to a misdemeanor. This did not stop Seattle from trading two draft picks for him four games into the 2010 season. Lynch got off to a slow start in Seattle, but I think he's doing just fine now. And if you think that "well, the Seahawks have better organizational structure that kept Lynch in line" remember that Lynch was arrested again in 2012 for DUI. So here are two high profile players who have been resurrected after egregious offenses that dwarf Jackson's alleged affiliations by a mile. This should give Redskins fans solace that these offenses mean nothing, but some fans still cannot get off the bad teammate aspect of Jackson's character an how it will irrevocably hurt a 3-13 team.
The fans and pundits who are wary of signing Jackson are combining Jackson's personality with the Redskins history of bad signings. They are worried that if Jackson is brought in and he continues his malcontented ways, he will set back the development of this team through his actions and salary tie ups. While the salary issues are legitimate and should be taken into great consideration, his character should not. How much more of a setback can Jackson's persona be? More than regressing from 10-6 to 3-13? More than all of Robert Griffin's trials and tribulations over the past two years (his knee, his dad, his leadership capabilities, his commercials, his self imposed comeback, his shutdown at the end of this past season)? More than Mike Shanahan's double talk and manipulative practices? What could DeSean Jackson's personality possibly do to this franchise to make it any worse, or that could not be covered up by his play on the field? I say it is worth it no matter what the cost may be. The promise of Jackson's play on the field far outweighs the portent of his actions in the locker room and off the field. And maybe all Jackson needs is a change of scenery. It is clear that he did not get along with the Eagles brass and their concerns about him seem more personal that objective. You mean it was just a coincidence that the Eagles released Jackson less than an hour after the gang story was posted? Jackson may have rubbed the Eagles the wrong way, but it sounds like Chip Kelly did not do much to bring understanding to that relationship. Maybe coming to DC will be Jackson's rebirth as a model NFL player. I say Redskins fans need to take a chance on this if the opportunity is there, if for nothing else to reclaim what is rightfully ours. The Offseason NFL Championship.
