Jordan’s Serial: Not Exactly Life Of Riley
Riley Cooper is about to enter his fourth year in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The problem is the Philadelphia Eagles may not want Riley Cooper any more.
Let’s put that another way. They may be under increasing pressure to let Cooper go after he was caught on camera doing something shameless. To many he is now an outcast on the team. And that includes his close colleague LeSean McCoy.
“I guess the real him came out that day,” McCoy told NFL.com’s Albert Breer. “The cameras are off, you don’t think nobody’s watching or listening, and then you find out who they really are.”
Let’s rewind a bit.
This past week footage has come out on YouTube capturing Cooper using the “N” word while at a recent Kenny Chesney concert. The word was used just once but once is enough. In the days of social media the news of this spread wide and quick and it wasn’t long before Cooper tried to make amends for his wrong doing. He went on Twitter to apologise in an effort to calm the situation. It was of course too late, that horse had long gone.
Cooper was due to be number two wide receiver on the team this year, and of course that could still be the case. He will find it increasingly difficult to get over this. In his own locker room it will become hard to look his teammates in the eye, and opposition players will be hard pressed not to vent a little anger as he goes high over the middle to catch a pass.
McCoy did add that he forgives Cooper, but it hurts because McCoy’s “losing a friend … I can’t respect a guy like that.”
If the rest of his peers can act with the same forthcoming dignity that McCoy has shown, he maybe has a chance, albeit a small one, of being accepted back into the huddle. You get the impression that it could be hard work for him to get over.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly, in his first year of pro football coaching, said he was “appalled” by the comments and that it would take a while for the team to get over. He also said that Cooper was in no danger of being released. This begs the question that, if Cooper should go on to have a stellar year will all be forgotten? I’m not so sure. Being branded a racist tends to stay with you. Forever.
