I have been a fan of the NFL’s Washington Redskins for over 30 years. NFL fans know that the Redskins have been one of the league’s poster children for futility for quite some time. That’s why I was elated when my favorite team signed wide receiver DeSean Jackson to a three year, $24 million contract on Tuesday.

Jackson was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, a team owned by Jeffrey Lurie, in 2008. Jackson is also one of the most talented receivers in the NFL, a speed merchant that’s a threat to score a touchdown every time he touches the ball. He’s a two time Pro Bowler in the prime of his career at 27 years of age. However, the Eagles essentially told Jackson that his services are no longer needed in Philadelphia. From a talent standpoint, this makes absolutely no sense. It’s been said that Jackson’s exit from Philadelphia is a case of “addition by subtraction”, an assertion that is beyond my level of understanding from a talent standpoint.

There have been rumors that Jackson, a native of Los Angeles, has ties with a well-known gang called the Crips. Whether or not that’s true is irrelevant. Jackson can associate himself with anyone he wants to, just like any adult can.  He was drafted by the Eagles in 2008, and spent six seasons with the team. In 2011, the Eagles’ franchise was worth $1.16 billion. It should be assumed that Lurie is an astute businessman, considering that he first purchased the Eagles in 1994 for $185 million.  Simply put, the Eagles are a great investment for Lurie that makes him money hand over foot.

Before the league’s annual draft, the NFL does extensive background checks on all of the college players that aspire to enter the NFL draft. The NFL also has very tight security. Everything about these prospective NFL players, from the day they were born, to what they had for breakfast on New Year’s Eve, to what their high school SAT scores were, to what they have in their pockets right this second, is discovered by NFL security and the brain trust of the league’s 32 teams.  Do you think for one second that NFL owners are going to give millions of their dollars to these young men without finding out everything about them? I don’t.

Jackson’s alleged gang ties apparently didn’t bother the Eagles, who employed Jackson for six years. Luria and Eagles’ fans watched Jackson play well while helping the organization realize its goals of becoming profitable, as well as sustaining that profitability. Simply put, this is black labor/white wealth at work. The Eagles’ message seems to be as long as Jackson is ready to play and help them win on Sundays, and there’s no trouble coming to their door, they don’t care who he hangs out with. If Jackson was involved in any illegal activity, it would have come to light already. He probably have been arrested and incarcerated for a long time if that were the case. It hasn’t, he wasn’t, I move on.

Jackson’s detractors can reason that he was a representative of the Philadelphia Eagles. His decorum,  and the company he kept, needed to reflect his organization. Those detractors are absolutely correct. That said, let me introduce you to Eagles’ wide receiver Riley Cooper. For those that don’t know who Cooper is, he’s a Caucasian wide receiver that gained notoriety for his use of the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert in 2013. This makes me wonder if Cooper’s views are reflective of the Philadelphia Eagles. In any event, someone videotaped Cooper’s tirade, posted it on the Internet, and it went viral. Don’t get it twisted: Cooper meant what he said, and many Americans feel the same way he does about black folks. But even the most ignorant Americans know that expressing those views in that manner isn’t a good look. It could get them in some sort of trouble if done in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trouble that many of them are unable to deal with.

Jackson’s release from the Eagles means that Cooper could become the team’s primary receiver. Deep down, many Caucasian Eagles’ fans are ecstatic about this. They see Cooper as a working class white guy who should get the opportunity to shine over Jackson. It’s interesting that Jackson’s work ethic has been questioned, but no one questioned his work ethic when his talent demanded that opposing defenses double team him.  Meanwhile, Cooper’s NFL career reflects that of a journeyman, considering he has recorded 93 receptions in four NFL seasons. In comparison, Jackson had 82 receptions by himself in 2013. That proves to me that Jackson is the more valuable receiver. Unfortunately, the Eagles have to kowtow to a mostly white fan base who might be more comfortable with someone like Cooper representing the franchise. It’ll be interesting to see how Jackson and Cooper represent their respective teams in 2014.