DeSean Jackson and Shady McCoy released on Thursday morning a podcast that revealed a lot of behind the scenes stuff about Chip Kelly and their respective departures from Philadelphia. Included was a discussion about the infamous 2014 NJ.com article concerning D Jax and alleged gang connections:

“One of my childhood friends I grew up with, he went to jail for murder. It was my brother, like somebody I grew up with, played ball together as a youth. When he got convicted (sic – he meant to say accused) of murder, that’s my brother, I’m not gonna turn my back on him, I’m gonna help him out in any situation, so I get him a lawyer. I got him a lawyer and he beat the case, and when he beat the case, I went to go pick him up, me, my cousin, a few of my boys we went down and picked him up from the county jail. He beat the case, so we took a picture. The picture was me and two of my homies and my boy who beat murder…  In this story, it basically talks about how I’m taking pictures with with murderers. They brought up like ‘look he’s supporting murders,’ this is my brother, my brother just got convicted (sic – he meant to say accused) for murder and I get him lawyer and he beat the case and we go pick him up from jail. They start picking and Drew (Rosenhaus) was telling me ‘they’re releasing you because of this.’ I’m like, you’re gonna tell me they’re releasing me, just because I picked up my boy who beat murder?” 

The NJ.com story was co-authored by Eliot Shorr-Parks and A.J. Perez, who are now at 94 WIP and Front Office Sports. It’s titled “DeSean Jackson’s gang connections troubling to Eagles,“ with an editor’s note stating that “this story has been updated from the original version that was published shortly before the Eagles released DeSean Jackson.” So I’m not entirely sure what’s different from the original to the current version in the span of 10 years, but here’s one of the relevant portions of the story:

“…sources close to Jackson and within the Eagles’ organization say, it originally was Jackson’s off-field behavior that concerned the front office. A bad attitude, an inconsistent work ethic, missed meetings and a lack of chemistry with head coach Chip Kelly were the original reasons for his fall from grace, sources told NJ.com.

And when the Eagles looked more deeply into why Jackson was missing meetings, they found that his friends were becoming a more powerful — and negative — influence in his life.

Then, suddenly, the Eagles had even more serious concerns when they were revealed by NJ.com — Jackson’s continued association with reputed Los Angeles street gang members who have been connected to two homicides since 2010.”

And here’s the portion I believe D Jax is referencing in the story he tells in that video clip, about the friend he picked up from jail following acquittal:

DeSean Jackson was nowhere near the scene of the crime when, on Dec. 29, 2010, 14-year-old Taburi Watson flashed a rival gang sign at two men as he rode his bicycle through South Los Angeles.

The men, reportedly members of the Crips, responded to the teen’s provocative gesture by shooting him multiple times, police said. Paramedics pronounced Watson dead at the scene.

Jackson was, however, associated with Theron Shakir, one of the two men charged with the murder. Along with co-defendant Marques Binns, Shakir is a purported member of the Crips. In addition, Shakir, known as “T-Ron,” is a rapper who recorded for Jaccpot Records, a label owned by Jackson. The two were close enough that they appear together frequently in photographs — including pictures posted by Jackson to Instagram while Shakir sat in jail awaiting trial for the teen’s execution.

…

Shakir, who was, in fact, acquitted of Watson’s murder and a related gun charge in January 2013, spent more than a year in jail awaiting trial. (Binns was convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life.) In a photo apparently taken shortly after his release, Shakir is shown still wearing his L.A. County Jail T-shirt while someone who appears to be Jackson holds up a Jaccpot chain.

The story goes on to note other D Jax + Crips references, such as hand gestures and whatnot. A short time after the article went up, NJ.com published a statement from Jackson that read like this:

“First I would like to thank the Eagles organization, the Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia for my time in Philly. I would also like to thank coach Andy Reed [sic] for bringing me in. Secondly, I would like to address the misleading and unfounded reports that my release has anything to do with any affiliation that has been speculated surrounding the company I keep off of the field. I would like to make it very clear that I am not and never have been part of any gang. I am not a gang member and to speculate and assume that I am involved in such activity off the field is reckless and irresponsible. I work very hard on and off the field and I am a good person with good values. I am proud of the accomplishments that I have made both on and off the field. I have worked tirelessly to give back to my community and have a positive impact on those in need. It is unfortunate that I now have to defend myself and my intentions. These reports are irresponsible and just not true . I look forward to working hard for my new team. God Bless.”

Right, so the stuff in the podcast is new, or at least I think it is. I don’t remember DeSean ever telling the full story of the murder acquittal and explaining why he was friends with the guy in the first place, but he did stress that growing up in South Central LA, gang activity was everywhere. “Yeah I grew up in the hood,” he said on the podcast, noting that most people wind up becoming a product of their environment. Here’s the full thing if you wanna dive into it. The gang stuff starts around the 37 minute mark: