Some of you may remember that during the Chip Kelly era around 10 years ago, Eliot Shorr Parks was working for NJ.com and wrote up a fake piece about DJax having gang ties.  The story got picked up nationally, and Kelly unceremoniously cut DJax who signed with Washington and burned the Eagles for a few years.

Last week, DJax and Shady McCoy put together a podcast and slammed Kelly. Part of the podcast focused on ESP's hit piece and how much it hurt DJax professionally and financially.

ESP, who has a decent size presence on Twitter, went into hiding for a week - and was getting eviscerated online.  Today, he re-emerged as if nothing happened and posted a couple of remarks about the schedule.  The Eagles faithful were having none of this, and to a man, have been demanding he apologize.

I went online and suggested that WIP be petitioned to fire his butt - so he could experience first hand what he put DJax through.  And this was ESP's response to that tweet:

 

I saw that. Literally every reply to his post about the schedule was telling him to apologise in no uncertain terms. 

3 hours ago, kiwinavega said:

I saw that. Literally every reply to his post about the schedule was telling him to apologise in no uncertain terms. 

Good. It needs to increase until he does or he loses 50k followers 

I've always thought ESP was a buffoon clamoring for "clicks" and notoriety with really bad hot takes.  He was so bad I had to block anything related to him.

That said, I don't recall the DJax story being "fake" or completely made up out of thin air.  I believe there was at least some truth to DJax associating with known gang members via his record label or whatever.  Not that DJax was part of a gang, just that he associated with members in some capacity.  It was that and how some people inside the organization viewed him that all led to the Eagles trading him...including Chip Kelly being an arsehole. 

But the media did what the media does...grab onto something and blow it up, regardless of how true or not something is.  It's why I hate the general media and take everything with a grain of salt.

It wasn't a fake story, nor should he be fired. Nor should he apologize. I'm not an ESP fan, but he did nothing wrong. And he never accused DeSean of being in a gang.

People just don't like ESP so they want to see his downfall. He did associate with gang members and that's all the piece said. Now whether or not the piece was written to get himself attention for trying to break some big story is up for debate. But it was not libel or anything of the sort.

Typical internet reactionary pile-on nonsense.

2 hours ago, Sack that QB said:

It wasn't a fake story, nor should he be fired. Nor should he apologize. I'm not an ESP fan, but he did nothing wrong. And he never accused DeSean of being in a gang.

People just don't like ESP so they want to see his downfall. He did associate with gang members and that's all the piece said. Now whether or not the piece was written to get himself attention for trying to break some big story is up for debate. But it was not libel or anything of the sort.

Typical internet reactionary pile-on nonsense.

Baloney.  I remember that blowing up very well.  It was a third rate article by a fifth rate author who held a celebratory podcast when it was picked up nationally.

1 minute ago, Procus said:

Baloney.  I remember that blowing up very well.  It was a third rate article by a fifth rate author who held a celebratory podcast when it was picked up nationally.

Nothing you said disputes what I said. I said he didn't accuse him of being in a gang and did nothing wrong. Whether it was an article worth writing or reading is another debate entirely. But the accusation here is that he did something wrong and should apologize, and that is objectively false.

4 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Nothing you said disputes what I said. I said he didn't accuse him of being in a gang and did nothing wrong. Whether it was an article worth writing or reading is another debate entirely. But the accusation here is that he did something wrong and should apologize, and that is objectively false.

There is no immunity for writers.  If they put together a mean spirited piece to destroy somebody, they are entitled to experience the wrath of the public.

3 minutes ago, Procus said:

There is no immunity for writers.  If they put together a mean spirited piece to destroy somebody, they are entitled to experience the wrath of the public.

Again, different argument. I didn't say he couldn't get criticized for the piece, I said he didn't do anything wrong and shouldn't have to apologize for it. And I don't think it was mean spirited. I think it was a little sensationalist, but I didn't consider it mean. No personal shots at DeSean were taken in it.

25 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Again, different argument. I didn't say he couldn't get criticized for the piece, I said he didn't do anything wrong and shouldn't have to apologize for it. And I don't think it was mean spirited. I think it was a little sensationalist, but I didn't consider it mean. No personal shots at DeSean were taken in it.

I don't think your opinion is well founded.  Was a 3 page article painting him as a gang member when he wasn't.  Basically condemning the guy for growing up in East LA.

It clearly was a hit piece that was framed to make it appear Desean was a bad teammate who was associating with gang members, apparently fed to ESP by someone within the FO as a premptive justification for his impending release. This was before ESP became known as a the hack he is today, so a lot people took it at face value and some read into it even further. 

I think the correct way to describe a piece like that is sensationalist clickbait. The truth is, DeSean explained what actually happened pretty well, and while it's not good to only take one side of a story, the way he justified it makes it pretty obvious. What he basically said was that he grew up in South Central LA - and because of that, basically everyone there with friends has gang ties, since so many people are in gangs. But just because that's the case, doesn't mean he was in one, or that he did anything related to one, or that he grew up in an amoral household.

And when you think about it, his argument makes sense. Because when you think about it that way, that piece is basically slamming him for growing up in the area in the first place. So I think that in particular is more media sensationalism than anything - making a story out of something that's not a story. The type of people to make a piece that elevate their career intentionally at the cost of someone else's are probably not the type of people we want as media writers for the Eagles.

Now, does he deserve to get piled on for it? I dunno. When you solicit a following, especially for personal gain, and you do something that following does not approve of, they have the right to no longer support you. Do they have the right to jump on you on their way out? Well, I don't think it's a right, but hey, that's the dark side of the push towards 'free speech' over moderation, on platforms that doesn't apply to.

So all in all, the chicken came home to roost, it is what it is.

ESP is a hater and a moron.

Night of the 2014 NBA Draft

"The Sixers should have taken Noah Vonleh over Joel Embiid"

DJax defended himself on the podcast by saying, "I hang out with gang members. But that dont make be a bad person." He specifically talks about the picture he posted where he was hanging out with a friend taking  pics with him to post online in celebration of the fact that he just beat a murder charge. There is certainly a moral dilemma to be discussed here. 

6 hours ago, HazletonEagle said:

DJax defended himself on the podcast by saying, "I hang out with gang members. But that dont make be a bad person." He specifically talks about the picture he posted where he was hanging out with a friend taking  pics with him to post online in celebration of the fact that he just beat a murder charge. There is certainly a moral dilemma to be discussed here. 

The moral dilemma is called bad judgement --- something we all display at some point or another. 

I'll never understand why a person that has such an incredible opportunity, to be a premier player in a premier professional sport, will risk their own future by hanging around with people that can bring them down. We're talking about young adults that have had at least a few years of college education and as professionals have access to all the resources their team willingly provides to help them succeed in life. But sometimes they'd rather not let go of a culture that is the opposite of positive and that has been destroying so many lives of young men and kids that are caught up in it. 

There's nothing wrong with wanting to believe in or help troubled friends. That's actually a positive characteristic. But there's responsibility in how that is done. You have to be sure you are the one influencing them and not the other way around. 

As for this ongoing soap opera, I couldn't care less about ESP. I'm not a fan. I was a DJax fan and always felt we had to put up with his bad judgement. I never had the guy on a pedestal and was hopeful maturity would set in. There are plenty of examples of players that came from worse backgrounds who rose above that and became positive role models for others. But let's hear some more about how ESP and/or Chip Kelly prevented a couple of them from accomplishing their individual goals.

On 5/17/2024 at 11:07 AM, Sack that QB said:

... he did nothing wrong.

My first thought at that statement:

 

 

On 5/17/2024 at 2:13 PM, Procus said:

... in East LA.

First thought to that one:

 

On 5/17/2024 at 12:56 PM, we_gotta_believe said:

It clearly was a hit piece that was framed to make it appear Desean was a bad teammate who was associating with gang members, apparently fed to ESP by someone within the FO as a premptive justification for his impending release. This was before ESP became known as a the hack he is today, so a lot people took it at face value and some read into it even further. 

This is what I came here to say. I always thought it was Chip Kelly himself who planted the hit story on Jackson. He had to come up with a way to release a player who'd just caught 82 passes for 1300 yards and 9 TDs. He was also a very popular Eagle.

4 hours ago, Hawkeye said:

This is what I came here to say. I always thought it was Chip Kelly himself who planted the hit story on Jackson. He had to come up with a way to release a player who'd just caught 82 passes for 1300 yards and 9 TDs. He was also a very popular Eagle.

Why would you manufacture baggage for an asset that had at least some trade value if all you wanted to do was get rid of him? I disagree with the conspiracy that Kelly planted the story. The only way that idea makes sense is if you just want to find more reasons to hate Chip Kelly and are willing to believe anything in order to accomplish that. 

While Chip was here there were quite a few whiners on the team that didn't buy in. Many of them are still whining to this day. He didn't want to mess with that crap. He wasn't a dad or brother trying to recruit a family, he was a boss. Come to work, do your job, help the company. 

Unfortunately, I don't think there are a lot of NFL players that are mature enough for that culture. That, combined with my belief that Chip thought his system was greater than the parts, is why he wasn't able to sustain success at this level. 

17 hours ago, brkmsn said:

Why would you manufacture baggage for an asset that had at least some trade value if all you wanted to do was get rid of him?

You're thinking too logically here.  What you're not getting is that Kelly was absolutely clueless as a GM, and that was his real undoing.  He could have gotten much more for Shady than Kiko Alonso.  He didn't understand the salary cap in the least.  If he didn't demand the GM duties from Lurie, he likely would have lasted a few more years with the team.

18 hours ago, brkmsn said:

Why would you manufacture baggage for an asset that had at least some trade value if all you wanted to do was get rid of him? 

Then why didn't they trade him? They got nothing for a receiver in the prime of his career.

Moreover, Kelly was a narcissist and had no idea how to run an organization in the NFL. Lurie finally came to his senses and the rest is history, but come on. 

18 hours ago, brkmsn said:

Why would you manufacture baggage for an asset that had at least some trade value if all you wanted to do was get rid of him? I disagree with the conspiracy that Kelly planted the story. The only way that idea makes sense is if you just want to find more reasons to hate Chip Kelly and are willing to believe anything in order to accomplish that. 

While Chip was here there were quite a few whiners on the team that didn't buy in. Many of them are still whining to this day. He didn't want to mess with that crap. He wasn't a dad or brother trying to recruit a family, he was a boss. Come to work, do your job, help the company. 

Unfortunately, I don't think there are a lot of NFL players that are mature enough for that culture. That, combined with my belief that Chip thought his system was greater than the parts, is why he wasn't able to sustain success at this level. 

You're 100% right to me.

What I want to know is why didn't Lurie step in and tell Chip " No we are not releasing him".  Lurie must have signed off on it and been OK with it otherwise it wouldn't have happened. 

Seems like every year or 2 we hear Djax, Shady and whoever else (mostly those 2) complaining about Chip.  We get it.  It's been over 10 years now.  Time to move on.  

They had all those guys, Vick, Djax, Maclin and Shady and didn't win a SB with Andy Reid.  They weren't winning a SB with Chip, especially with Vick at QB.

 

5 hours ago, Procus said:

You're thinking too logically here.  What you're not getting is that Kelly was absolutely clueless as a GM, and that was his real undoing.  He could have gotten much more for Shady than Kiko Alonso.  He didn't understand the salary cap in the least.  If he didn't demand the GM duties from Lurie, he likely would have lasted a few more years with the team.

The thing that surprised me the most was that the Eagles fired him after giving him full control for only one season. You can't expect a major culture change to take place in that short of a span. He replaced McCoy with Mathews and Murray, two guys known for their high character. Unfortunately, Murray wasn't a fit for how the Eagles tried to use him. McCoy was a fit. As I said, I think Chip had too much faith in his system and thought he could jettison compatible talent for character / maturity. He replaced Crybaby Cary (Williams) with (quiet) Byron Maxwell

4 hours ago, Hawkeye said:

Then why didn't they trade him? They got nothing for a receiver in the prime of his career.

Moreover, Kelly was a narcissist and had no idea how to run an organization in the NFL. Lurie finally came to his senses and the rest is history, but come on. 

They didn't trade him because of the story we're talking about. I'm just dismissing the conspiracy that the Eagles manufactured the story to justify releasing a productive player. I don't know if the story created more red flags for the Eagles or for other teams. I just don't believe they were behind it. The Eagles were already dealing with the negative reaction to the Vick signing who continued to be the most hated player in sports at that time and maybe Lurie got a little nervous about being associated with gang activity as outspoken as he is against gun violence and all that. We'll probably never know all the details. 

dope ESP resumed posting on X and completely ignored the DJax situation like it never happened.  He continues to get eviscerated in the comments.

Guy is a member of the media.  Publicity is gold, even if it's bad publicity.  A legit reporter wouldn't duck the issue.  He'd address it head on.  The worse thing ESP can do is pretend it never happened.  Better to tackle the issue and give his side than to just ignore it.