Julian Edelman has invited DeSean Jackson to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.
Edelman is Jewish.
"I have seen DeSean play in his career, make outstanding football plays, we've communicated over social media. I've got nothing but respect for his game. I know he said some ugly things, but I do see an opportunity to have a conversation," Edelman said in an Instagram video posted Thursday morning.
"I am proud of my Jewish heritage, and for me, it is not just about religion. It's about community and culture as well," he added. "I am unusual because I didn't identify as Jewish until later in my life. Whenever I encountered hatred, it never really felt like it was aimed at me. It was only after I was part of this community that I learned how destructive hate is. Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of hatred. It's rooted in ignorance and fear."
Edelman said he would welcome a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture to learn more from Jackson.
"I don't want to distract from how important the Black Lives Matter movement is, and how we need to stay behind it. I think the Black and Jewish communities have a lot of similarities," Edelman said in the video.
"One unfortunate similarity is that they are both attacked by the ignorant and the hateful. It's really hard to see the challenges a community can face when you're not part of it. So what we need to do is, we need to listen. We need to learn. We need to act. We need to have these uncomfortable conversations if we're going to have real change."