What went wrong for DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia? It’s a mystery we’ve long awaited clarity about.
When Jackson was released by the Philadelphia Eagles, there were whispers it was because of his connection to gangs in his hometown in California. There were reports suggesting Jackson was a locker room cancer, and that he and head coach Chip Kelly did not get along.
But despite these allegations, Jackson, coming off a career year, quickly landed with the NFC East rival Washington Redskins. Now that he’s growing comfortable in the burgundy and gold, he’s giving insight as to why the divorce ensued in Philly.
Jackson told Yahoo Sports that his former agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who orchestrated Jackson’s holdout in the summer of 2011, was the “driving force” to the fallout between him and the Eagles.
Jackson says he hired Rosenhaus, in part, because the agent assured him he had “close ties to Eagles management” and could persuade the team to renegotiate the wide receiver’s contract “before or during the 2010 NFL season.” At the time, Jackson still had two years remaining on his deal.
Rosenhaus failed to get Jackson a new deal prior to or during the 2010 season. Jackson says Rosenhaus urged him to hold out during training camp in the summer of 2011 in order to force the Eagles to give in to the agent’s contract demands.
“In the end, the holdout served only to embarrass Jackson, undermine his credibility and diminish his negotiating leverage with Eagles’ management,” said Jackson’s attorney, William Quinn of global law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, in the filing.
The story doesn’t end there.
Jackson was angry with how the holdout went and threatened to fire Rosenhaus, but kept the agent on board because of payments Rosenhaus made to Jackson.
According to the report, Rosenhaus paid Jackson $143,088 to remain a client. That includes a $50,000 cash payment at a gas station parking lot, delivered in a Louis Vuitton bag, as well as a $90,000 check and a $200,000 interest-free loan.
Now the issue is whether Jackson has to pay Rosenhaus back.
The NFLPA prohibits agents from such monetary incentives in exchange for business, but Rosenhaus suggests the money came after Jackson signed his contract, calling the payments a loan.
NFLPA arbitrator Roger Kaplan ruled that Jackson had to pay Rosenhaus back more than half a million dollars in unpaid loans and agent fees, but the wide receiver argued Kaplan was biased and corrupt.
When it comes to Jackson and Rosenhaus, there is no shortage of questionable behavior.
