Less than two years after he was signed to a record-setting contract, cornerback JC Jackson was traded by the LA Chargers. Los Angeles shipped Jackson back to New England and only received a late-round draft swap in the deal. It was clear the Bolts simply wanted Jackson out of LA.
It is hard to blame the Chargers as Jackson has been nothing but disappointing on the field. Fans should commend the team for not keeping a sunk cost around for the sake and for making the move to get him off the team. A lot of NFL teams would have kept Jackson around just because of the contract he signed.
Jackson's poor play on the field was plenty of reason to move on from him, but it was not the only retail. New details have emerged courtesy of NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who reported over the weekend that Jackson refused to enter the game in Week 4 when Michael Davis was banged up.
"Before the Chargers traded their one-time free-agent prize to New England -- where Jackson began his career -- there was one last straw: Sources say Jackson repeatedly refused to go into the game against the Raiders on Oct. 1, standing on the sideline with his shoes untied even when a teammate was banged up and needed to come off the field.
Multiple coaches attempted to persuade Jackson -- a healthy scratch for the Chargers' Week 3 game against Minnesota -- to enter the game in the third quarter after Michael Davis injured his ankle. Jackson refused, saying, among other things, that he wasn't warm enough to play, per sources."
J.C. Jackson clinches title of Chargers fans' biggest villain
It is one thing to struggle on the field. While that does not mean that the fans have to take sympathy for Jackson, if it was related to his play it wouldn't feel as personal. This makes it feel personal for Chargers fans. As long as Jackson is playing in the NFL he will be the most despised player among Chargers fans.
Chargers fans held onto a grudge with Melvin Gordon for years and all he did was take a shot at the fanbase once he signed with the Denver Broncos (after a contract holdout). Jackson outright refused to play for the Bolts and had the audacity to do so after being the worst player on defense.
This just adds another wrinkle to the Chargers' game against the New England Patriots later this season. Both sides are going to be fired up and now the fanbase is going to be into it as well. Jackson is lucky that the game is not in Los Angeles, as fans may have broken the sound barrier with the boos he would have received.