NFL Star DeSean Jackson Shut Down in Plea to Seal Custody Fight After Accusing 'Brainwashed' Ex of Abandoning Children
Feb. 19 2024, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was denied his plea to keep his custody battle with his ex hidden from the public — after claiming she had been “brainwashed” and had no interest in being around for their 2 young boys.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge shut down Jackson’s motion asking for the entire case to be sealed.
The judge ruled that the case would not be sealed because Jackson had failed to show that “immediate irreparable harm” would occur if his request was not granted.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, earlier this month, Jackson filed a petition demanding sole custody of his 2 children, Desean and Jace. He listed the defendant as his ex, Kayla Phillips.
The NFL star said he moved from Florida to California in 2020 after the two broke up.
He said he took the children to spend time with him. Once it was time for them to return, DeSean said he reached out to Kayla but she asked for him to return them at a later date.
When the date came, DeSean said he reached out again but Kayla asked him to keep the children longer. He said since then, Kayla “stopped calling me about the children’s return.”
DeSean said he enrolled the kids in a LA school and they have been living with him ever since. He accused his ex of having “abandoned” their children.
He claimed his ex joined a religious group called "The Most High" and had been showing "cult-like behavior."
"[Kayla] appears erratic on Facebook video posts," he said in the petition. DeSean said his ex "states the members of The Most High are WOKE and everybody else is not."
"We don't know what [Phillips] is capable of since she joined 'The Most High' cult which is why we have filed the request For Child Abduction Prevention Orders," his petition read.
He accused Kayla of being “brainwashed” and exhibiting “cult-like” behavior. He said she lived in an RV with her boyfriend and did not have a stable home for their children.
A couple of days later, he pleaded for the court record to be sealed.
“I am requesting a court order to seal the records of the child custody case of DeSean Jackson Sr. vs. Kayla Phillips on the grounds that, I, DeSean Jackson, Sr, the petition in this matter, am a retired, former NFL football player who would like to keep this matter sealed and confidential for the sake of privacy for myself and my minor children as a safeguard from the media and social media,” he said.
The judge denied the request. No decision has been made on custody.