Inside the weekend of DeSean: How the former receiver resonates with fans after retiring an Eagle
From being reunited with a Make-A-Wish kid to taking photos with Michael Vick to being the honorary captain on Sunday, Jackson celebrated the official end to his NFL career around Philly.
During the 2011 season, DeSean Jackson and the Eagles were gearing up for a Week 8 matchup with the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Jackson, a Los Angeles native in his fourth season in Philadelphia, was coming off two straight Pro Bowl seasons.
The 24-year-old star wideout was assigned his first Make-A-Wish child that week, 11-year-old Travis Politakis, who resided in Texas at the time. Politakis had a genetic mutation called STAT1 that upsets the regulatory balance of the immune system. The mutation can exacerbate respiratory illnesses and general sickness.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation flew Politakis to Philadelphia, allowing him to spend the weekend with Jackson, his favorite player. The trip included a visit to the Eagles Pro Shop and tickets to their game against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Jackson had just three catches for 31 yards in a 34-7 Eagles victory, but he delivered a game ball to Politakis.
Twelve years later, Politakis, 24, resides in Voorhees, N.J., and is in better health. He waited in line at Dynasty Sports & Framing’s photo and autograph session at Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne on Friday, Dec. 1, Jackson’s 37th birthday. The same day, Jackson signed a one-day contract with the Eagles to retire from the NFL after 15 seasons.
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“I have this photo of me and him from the Make-A-Wish weekend and I was just going to show it to him real quick to reintroduce myself,” Politakis told The Inquirer as he awaited Jackson’s arrival. “And just tell him thank you because I really never got a chance to thank him for it. I was just a young, little naive kid.”
Jackson played for the Eagles in eight of his 15 seasons, and the city’s love for him never wavered.
It was a big reason why Jackson, who officially retired as an Eagle last weekend, went on his own farewell tour around the Philadelphia area. From tavern and bar meetups to posing for pictures and signing autographs, No. 10 made his presence felt with the fans who spent so much time cheering for him on the field.
The Jackson tour continued into last weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, where The Philly Show hosted several photo op and autograph sessions at the complex featuring past and present Philadelphia athletes, including Jackson.
One of the photo opportunities included a photo with Jackson and one of his former quarterbacks, Michael Vick. Ryan Magee, of Pottstown, had his picture taken with the duo.
“While he was on the team around like 2010 or so, that’s when I was just really getting into the game of football and watching him,” Magee said. “Michael Vick, Jeremy Maclin, and that whole squad like really made me fall in love with the game of football.
“When I took a picture with him and Vick, I asked them, ‘I got 100 bucks on a race, who wants it?’ And they both [laughed].”
Hundreds of fans rolled through the Expo Center, donning Jackson’s jersey, getting memorabilia signed that included replica helmets and photographs of Jackson, soaking up whatever interaction they could have with him.
Some fans recalled Jackson’s being their first jersey during his first stint with the Birds. Others saw Jackson as an inspiration to suiting up themselves, including Bensalem’s Nicholas Reed, who played wide receiver and wore No. 10.
“I was really hurt when he left, was even more hurt when he scored touchdowns on us at Washington, but for him to be able to come back and retire where he started and had the most success, I’m sure it means a lot to him,” Reed said after getting Jackson’s autograph on a Jackson NFC Pro Bowl jersey. “He was super positive [when they met], he shook everybody’s hands, me, my mom, my grandpa and my nephew. ... He was smiling the whole time.”
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Before the fanfare to punctuate his birthday and retirement weekend, Jackson stepped up to the microphone to face the Philadelphia media one last time on Friday, decked out in a bright green sweatshirt and sweatpants with the shoes to match along with his designer glasses. The news conference officially closed the chapter on his football career that spanned six teams.
The “weekend of DeSean” culminated in Jackson serving as the honorary captain during the Eagles’ loss on Sunday against the 49ers in the NFC championship game rematch. He walked out with former teammates Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, and Fletcher Cox for the game’s coin toss.
Jackson arrived in Philly as a 21-year-old from the West Coast hoping to fulfill his dreams. Through it all, after thanking the organization, his teammates, family and friends, Jackson penned a special thank you to the fan base that saw him grow up.
“I played a lot of different places in the NFL, but Philadelphia was never a dull moment,” Jackson said at the start of his retirement news conference. “The fans always pushed me; even when if I wasn’t playing good ... to be able to be a professional and hear that from the fans, gave you that extra push to go out there and be great.
“It’s just a special place, man, it’s like my second home.”