Many people may think they know former Philadelphia Eagles and current Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson. But with the Tuesday, June 30, 2015 debut of “DeSean Jackson Home Team,” a docuseries and reality show on BET about the athlete, we will get a great glimpse into his life, past and present. We spoke exclusively with DeSean’s older brother, mentor, and executive producer of the BET series, Byron Jackson.
Byron described the series as being about “a young superstar NFL player and how he deals with his day-to-day life and how his family helps him to deal with his friends and relationships.” What makes this series unique is the docuseries aspect and Byron’s vision. “I started documenting this since the time DeSean was 4 or 5,” he said, which adds a unique flashback component that takes us back to the ’80s and ’90s when DeSean was a child. We will also get to see Byron and DeSean’s father, Bill, who passed away on May 14, 2009 due to pancreatic cancer, during the flashbacks.
Byron, who works as a sports editor at FOX, also played in the NFL, but he soon learned that football wasn’t for him. “I got to the point where I realized that the NFL was not my dream; it was my father’s dream,” he revealed.
When Byron let his dad know that he didn’t want to play football anymore, his father pulled a gun on him, which led to the pair not speaking to one another for years. It was DeSean who brought the two back together. Byron recalled, “We started putting our time and energy into DeSean pursuing sports.”
How difficult was it for Byron to convince DeSean to star in the series? “It wasn’t that hard. Every time I see DeSean I have a camera in my hand … now he’s happy that there is another outlet to show who he really is,” Byron said.
Byron feels his family will be relatable on the show. “Our family is pretty much like any other family in America,” he said. “DeSean is hilarious.”
Byron said of his brother and the public’s perception of him, “Once America really gets to see him, they will have a different perspective of who he is.” Byron added something he often tells DeSean: “One day you are going to be able to affect a lot of people doing what you love to do … his life has a purpose way bigger than football and this show is going to open the doors for people to really see that.”
The BET premiere of “DeSean Jackson Home Team” airs 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2015.
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