Riley Cooper Caught Using Racial Slur At Kenny Chesney Concert, Apologizes
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was caught uttering a racial slur at a recent Kenny Chesney concert in Philadelphia.
Cooper is seen in the video (seen here, contains offensive language), yelling at someone and being held back by another concert goer. "I'll fight every n____r here bro," Cooper is seen saying. The concert was held at Lincoln Financial Field on June 10th.
Cooper apologized on Twitter, saying "I am so ashamed and disgusted with myself. I want to apologize. I have been offensive. I have apologized to my coach, Jeffrey Lurie, and Howie roseman and to my teammates. I owe an apology to the fans and to this community. I am so ashamed, but there are no excuses. What I did was wrong and I will accept the consequences."
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie issued a statement:
"We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper's words. This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident."
Cooper, in his fourth year with the Eagles, apologized directly to the team and coaches Wednesday night.
"I'm extremely embarrassed. I'm extremely hurt and extremely sorry for my actions. That's not the type of person I am and I wasn't raised that way. I got a great mom and dad at home, and they're extremely, extremely disappointed in me," said Cooper.
After practice, his teammates responded with support.
"We understand the magnitude of the situation. We understand a lot of people may be hurt and offended, but I know Riley Cooper. I know him as a man. I've been with him for the last three years and I know what type of person he is. And that's what makes it easy to, you know, to forgive him. I forgave him," said Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.
"A lot of guys forgave him right away. There's going to be guys that it's going to take a couple of days or a week or a month. It's going to be something that he has to deal with," said Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant.
"He regrets this. You know full heartedly. I believe in his heart of hearts he wishes he could take it back. I think this is a true test of his character and his manship," said Eagles safety Kurt Coleman.
Fans also weighed in.
"There's no place for that," said Eagles fan Gene Sullivan.
"I'm a little disappointed," said Eagles fan Marketta Kelly. "It leaves a nasty taste in my mouth because he represents our city, and, you know, we support him. We support the Eagles."
Cooper was likely to get more playing time for the Eagles after an injury to Jeremy Maclin.
