Teammates React to Riley Cooper's Racial Slur, Apology

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Video of Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper using a racial slur went viral late Wednesday afternoon. It’s sensational enough without commentary. Obviously the 25-year-old’s words were terribly insensitive to say the least, and he’s probably lucky to get off with just a fine – however expensive it may be – much less keep his job.

For what it’s worth, Cooper apologized immediately once the video came to light. He seems to understand he screwed up in a way that’s not easy to fix.

“This is kind of the lowest of the lows,” he said. “This isn’t how I want to be portrayed as. This isn’t the type of person that I am.”

“I know no one in Philadelphia is happy with me right now,” he said. “I accept that. I just hope they see the true me and accept my apology. But I know it’s going to take a while.”

I can’t put myself in anybody else’s shoes, but the first thing I wondered when this story broke is how the Birds’ locker room would respond. We probably don’t need to point out the majority of Cooper’s teammates are black men, as are many NFL players, so you can imagine how it might be difficult for him to go on making a living as a professional football player in the wake of these actions.

Let’s just say his teammates might be more forgiving than others. As you can see below, the ones who spoke to the media were willing to move forward.

Jason Avant did acknowledge some may not be able to forget the incident as quickly as others, but otherwise his teammates were as supportive as could be expected. Time will tell whether this becomes a bigger story or not though.

>> Riley Cooper apologizes, fined for using racial epithet [CSN]

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