Byron Jackson spent more than 35 years with a camera trained on his younger brother, and that archive has finally become a documentary.
“Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story” premieres Thursday, Sept. 24, after the Packers-Falcons game on Prime Video, and will be available in over 240 countries and territories.
The film is built from Byron Jackson’s long-running footage of DeSean Jackson’s path from Pop Warner in South Central Los Angeles to NFL stardom and, now, the head coaching job at Delaware State. Byron Jackson, who is DeSean’s older brother and the project’s lead filmmaker, talked about the documentary with Kyle T. Mosley on the HBCU Legends Podcast ahead of its release.
Before he was the man behind the camera, Byron Jackson spent two seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. After that, he walked away from football for a chance at television, a move that led to a two-year break with his father, Bill Jackson, who wanted his eldest son to keep chasing the game.
Bill Jackson instead focused his energy on DeSean, who is 18 years younger than Byron, even pushing him to play for two Pop Warner teams at once.
"I decided to come back and kind of be a shield from my dad pushing DeSean, somebody where DeSean could bounce stuff off of," Byron Jackson said. "And at the same time, I decided to film it all and document it all and just capture the whole journey."
That decision turned into an enormous archive. Byron Jackson said he began filming DeSean in 1987 and used nearly every format along the way, from VHS and Super VHS to Hi8, MiniDV and modern digital cameras. In all, he collected between 7,000 and 10,000 hours of footage, covering DeSean’s first steps, college success, NFL highlights and his work leading Delaware State.
The documentary also follows DeSean Jackson’s coaching rise at Delaware State, where the Hornets delivered a major turnaround in his first season. Before he arrived, the program had won only two games over the previous two years and sat in the MEAC cellar. Last season, Delaware State finished 8-4.
Had DSU beaten South Carolina State in the season finale, the Hornets would have gone to the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl.
Byron Jackson credited the staff DeSean put together for the turnaround, pointing to a mix of NFL veterans, HBCU coaches and Division I assistants. Among them is Martin Bayless, who has coached in the NFL and college for nearly 30 years.
"He kept a lot of good relationships from his playing career to help him now as a head coach," Byron Jackson said, naming mentors such as Andy Reid, Sean McVay and former Cal coach Jeff Tedford.
He also said DeSean’s Southern California background helps him on the recruiting trail. DeSean starred at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, led the school to a state championship in 2004 and became one of its top recruits. Byron Jackson said many in California still see him as a legend.
"He's kind of like an icon of Southern California," Byron Jackson said. "So when he shows up at your high school, kids are in awe. Plus, he still has a young spirit."
The film doesn’t avoid the rough edges. It digs into DeSean Jackson’s mistakes and the tension with their father, whom Byron Jackson describes as a complicated figure who pushed his sons toward football in pursuit of dreams he never fulfilled growing up in Pittsburgh.
"To be great, being African American, you got to be better than great to be great," Byron Jackson said, recalling a line from their father featured in the film. "Greatness ain't good enough. You gotta walk a thin line."
Byron Jackson said the documentary offers an honest look at the family’s struggles alongside DeSean’s success on the field. After sorting through thousands of hours of material, he credited director Mandon Lovett with turning the home videos into a finished story that surfaces raw moments that had never been shared before.
"Our family is just like anybody else's family," Byron Jackson said. "Greatness is an everyday person with guidance. No matter how many times you mess up, you got to have people in your life that's going to be honest with you and try to help you get back on track."
DeSean Jackson played 15 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles, Commanders, Buccaneers, Raiders, Ravens and Rams. He finished with 641 catches and 66 touchdowns, including four punt-return touchdowns.
One of the most famous came against the New York Giants in 2010, when he scored on a walk-off return. He also holds the NFL record for 26 career touchdowns of 60 yards or longer.
“Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story” is a Cover Story and HyperObject Industries production in association with JacksonOneMedia. Mandon Lovett wrote and directed the film, with Adam McKay and Todd Schulman of HyperObject Industries, Byron Jackson, DeSean Jackson and J.M.
Harper serving as executive producers. Scott Kaplan and Emmet McDermott of Cover Story are producers.
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