Jesse Jackson has come to the defense of LeBron James -- even though no one asked him to -- and compared Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to a "slave master."


In a harshly-worded statement, Jackson took Gilbert to task for his open letter to Cavaliers fans which slammed LeBron's decision to sign with the Miami Heat. Jackson says, "He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave."

He goes on, "LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned. He has been a model citizen and has inspired the children of Akron, Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the United States."

Not sure if Cleveland fans would rush to LeBron's defense right now.

Reverend Jesse Jackson claims Mel Gibson's racist rant reveals he has a "fundamental character flaw" ... and says the actor truly "needs help."



TMZ just spoke to Rev. Jackson, who said, "Mel Gibson's outburst demonstrates once again that we are far from a society that is 'beyond race and racism.' His penchants for anti-Semitic and racist diatribes reveal the actor's fundamental character flaw."

Jackson adds, "He needs help. But as a society we must redouble our efforts to combat racism and eradicate racial inequalities wherever they may exist."

And Gloria Allred has just weighed in, calling the statements "the worst kind of racism and sexism.  They clearly demonstrate a woman hating temperament which, in my opinion, is dangerous to women."

Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network is also weighing in ... telling TMZ, "The use of the "N" word and calling women denigrating terms combined with Gibson being accused of anti-semitism makes us wonder whether he is an outright bigot. We intend to aggressively look into this matter."