Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper has been caught in a firestorm.
He used a derogatory racial slur during a recent Kenny Chesney concert, was caught on tape, and the incident went viral. He has been fined an undisclosed amount by the Eagles, but won’t face any further sanctions from the NFL, according to league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Cooper later apologized for his choice of words, apparently not able to handle the backlash that is certain to come when a Caucasian uses that term in public instead of in private.
As an African American man, I find it unfortunate that Cooper, in an apparent drunken state, had to resort to using that racial slur in an effort to express his apparent anger. His apology was hollow, self-serving and disingenuous. He wasn’t sorry that he used that word. He’s sorry that it was caught on tape and it went viral.
Cooper said that the word wasn’t in his heart? Funny, he had no problem using it in public for all to hear.
I applaud the Eagles for handing down immediate sanctions against Cooper, who should have known that his use of that word would bring a lot of unnecessary attention to himself and his team. Cooper’s release from the Eagles would not only distance the organization from the incident, but would send a message to reinforce that such behavior in the future would absolutely not be tolerated.
Cooper’s exit from Philadelphia won’t be forthcoming, however.
The fact is, as abhorrent as his behavior was at the concert, what he said wasn’t illegal. No, the reason Cooper won’t be released is because of the season-ending ACL injury to Eagles’ wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Cooper is next on the depth chart behind Maclin, so his services will be essential to first-year Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly.
Of course, if Cooper was the 53rd man on the Eagles’ roster, no one would be taping him saying such things in the first place.
I understand why Philadelphia might not release Cooper for his incredible lapse of judgment. The Eagles have a franchise to run. What’ll be interesting is how Cooper’s African American teammates will now receive him, considering that their professional relationship could change.
Nevertheless, let’s hope that the Eagles can put this incident behind them and concentrate on the upcoming season. It’ll go a long way towards their healing process.
