Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper faced a Twitter storm, and apologized Wednesday for an n-word laced rant caught on tape.
Cooper was at a country music concert June 9th in Philly, when a cellphone camera caught part of a tirade in which Cooper proclaimed, “I will jump that fence and fight every n—er here!” Apparently, the rant came after an argument with a black security guard.
TheGrio: Twitter goes in on Cooper
The video was posted on the Philadelphia blog CrossingBroad.com and quickly spread across the Internet.
Cooper released a statement saying: “I am so ashamed and disgusted with myself. I want to apologize. I have been offensive. I have apologized to my coach, to Jeffrey Lurie, to 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.”
Cooper held a press conference saying he planned to talk to his teammates, in hopes he would be forgiven. And according to NBC Sports’ Darin Gantt:
… Cooper said he had never said the word before (which makes it really unfortunate for him that a camera caught him the one time he slipped).
“I wasn’t raised that way,” he said. “I got a great mom and dad at home. They’re extremely, extremely disappointed in me.”
Some of Cooper’s black teammates, including Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, have already told reporters they forgive him. and so have many fans. Vick’s brother Marcus was less circumspect, tweeting that he is offering a $1,000 bounty for Cooper, prompting Michael to tell him in so many words to sit down and stop talking.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said Cooper has been fined for his outburst.
A fifth-round pick out of Florida, Cooper is entering his fourth season in the NFL. He has 46 catches and five touchdowns in three years with the Eagles.
Cooper had tentatively moved into a starting role after Jeremy Maclin tore his right ACL in practice last Saturday. Still, he’s not guaranteed a roster spot in Chip Kelly’s new offense.
“I’m willing to accept all consequences,” Cooper said. “I know no one in Philadelphia is happy with me right now. I accept that. I hope they see the true me and accept my apology. I know it will take a while.”
Cooper apologized to teammates after talking to the media.