Did Eagles Fear They Might Have Another Aaron Hernandez in DeSean Jackson?

The Philadelphia Eagles made a move Thursday that is in way very surprising, but at the same time not at all. They released wide receiver Desean Jackson.

The question of course is why.

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Jackson is coming off a career year where he set new highs in receptions (82), yards (1332), and tied his previous mark for touchdowns (9). Why in the world would you want to get rid of a receiver with that kind of production--especially now that they have a receiver that can throw the ball around like Nick Foles can?

It seems that it's the off-field mess that did him in. According to NJ.com:

Sources close to Jackson and within the Eagles’ organization say, it’s Jackson’s off-field behavior that concerns the front office. A bad attitude, an inconsistent work ethic, missed meetings and a lack of chemistry with head coach Chip Kelly are the reasons, 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.

Now the Eagles have even more serious concerns — Jackson’s continued association with reputed Los Angeles street gang members who have been connected to two homicides since 2010....

The article goes on to talk about how two of Jackson's friends shot someone for flashing the wrong gang sign.

To be clear--Jackson was never a suspect or witness to the shooting nor is he a gang-member.  It was his friends. He hasn't done anything, but the fear that his old friends are having more and more of a negative impact on his life appears to be enough for the Eagles to let him go.

What makes Jackson's situation interesting is that the Eagles must not have had anyone willing to trade for him. If you look at his on-field production it would seem that plenty of teams would like to have him even with his hefty contract.

So why didn't anyone bite? Easy--no one wants a potential (potential--not saying that he is) Aaron Hernandez situation on their hands.

There is no reason to believe that Jackson is going to become a murderer like Hernandez, but thanks to social media and around the clock news teams are becoming more and more cautious when it comes to character issues. Between his friends, off-field behavior and questionable work ethic it was too much for the Eagles.

What will be real interesting to see now is whether it will be too much for another team.

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