Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
There are already enough Riley Cooper stories out there.
The Philadelphia Eagles‘ reputation may be ruined with the ignorant words of their wide receiver. This was a mistake on Cooper’s part, but does it call for such vicious assumptions that he is a racist? The mainstream media and many bloggers tend to think so, but one word spoken out of turn cannot prove this.
Yet, the media have pounced. Whatever the context is rendered irrelevant to them. Cooper apologized, but that was not enough to man. Although Cooper’s teammates forgave him, many still feel he has a long way to go on the road to repentance.
So the NFL steps in. Personal accountability is not enough. Instead, the powers that be have to implement their judgement. A fine may be handed out, and mandatory sensitivity classes may be attended.
It still will not be enough for some.
Perhaps this incident would bear more weight if the dreaded word wasn’t already being used in certain circles commonly. You can hear this word watching Friday, any music video by Lil’ Wayne, or by overhearing the conversation of some neighborhood kids.
This word is wrong, but should every word we say be policed by the media or from those that see racism on the backs of their cereal boxes in the morning?
Cooper will get enough punishment from Philadelphia fans. The jeers will be echoed, multiplied and amplified every time Cooper steps up to the line of scrimmage. Goodell shouldn’t be permitted to take Cooper’s paycheck away, or force him to take tolerance classes unless his awful actions repeat like an alcoholics.
Let Cooper’s teammates determine if he is sincere with his apology. The season is going to have enough ups and downs without getting caught up in the media frenzy. The Eagles have some football to play. They don’t have time to get caught up in games of name-calling and finger-pointing.
