It's a too late now: for LeSean McCoy; whatever McClin replacement sas set off tension in clubhouse : Riley Coper i suspect will have to prove his apology to people such McCoy, is the situation, as i see it. Articles follow(both featured on yahoo homepage which means what is worse, story has gone gone national.) To the team this a major, as Cooper is athletically a fine replacement.(2nd article is about Eagles wanting Cooper to take a course in understanding, etc.)
Chip Kelly will have to be a leader to get the peace pipe passed around the clubhouse. i hope no black player on other teams dare target Cooper, that would be WRONG many times over--and would become dynamite fr whole NFL --racism is a cancer within civilization, everywhere(meaning in all racial groups). Note in this article, Michael Vick has come to the defense of Riley Cooper
LeSean McCoy says he lost a friend in Riley Cooper: ‘Can’t really respect somebody like that’
sports.yahoo.com
For the most part, the public reaction of the Philadelphia Eagles' players has been calm professionalism toward Riley Cooper. Michael Vick defended him. So did Jason Avant.
LeSean McCoy had a different feeling about Cooper, and expressed it.
Cooper was caught on video using a racial slur. He apologized for it. McCoy, the Eagles' star running back, didn't sound ready to accept that apology.
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It's not surprising to hear that some players have some strong feelings toward Cooper. It will be interesting to see if any follow McCoy's lead and voice it publicly.
Here's more from McCoy, via CSNPhilly.com's Geoff Mosher:
“Ain’t nothing to prove. He said how he felt,” McCoy said, according to CSNPhilly.com. “He’s still a teammate. I’m still going to block for him. I’m still gonna show great effort. Just on a friendship level, and as a person, I can’t really respect somebody like that. I think as a team, we need to move past it. There are some things that are going to be hard to work with, to be honest.
"You don’t just say something like that and then it’s just normal. It’s hard for a lot of players like myself, because I’m good friends with him.
“And then we’ve been playing for three years, and something like this comes out, I think where a person thinks that the cameras are off and nobody is really watching, you let your true side come out, and I think that’s what happened. I think it’s a matter of him actually getting caught."
McCoy also told reporters he forgives Cooper because he's a teammate, "but some things [don’t] fit well with myself and other teammates at all." Notice that McCoy said he's not the only Eagles player feeling this way.
The NFL is a business, and players don't necessarily need to get along to play well. But this is more extreme than most cases. McCoy expressed his opinion on Cooper, and said other Eagles share it. It's quite a mess for first-time NFL head coach Chip Kelly to have to deal with. The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted a few anonymous Eagles players who were critical of Kelly's handling of the situation ["(I)f it was Andy Reid, he would have gotten more than a fine," one told the Inquirer] and more negative feelings towards Cooper [“If he’s on the team, he’s on the team,” an anonymous player told the Inquirer. “Don’t mean I have to like him.”].
The comments coming out of the Eagles locker room show that, even though some teammates publicly supported Cooper, his acceptance in the Eagles locker room isn't unanimous.
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Eagles to seek ‘outside assistance’ for Riley Cooper
sports.yahoo.com
Wide receiver Riley Cooper "shocked and appalled" the Philadelphia Eagles, his employer, by using a racial slur while attending a recent Kenny Chesney concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Cooper has apologized for his comments, both in a statement released by the team and publicly to the local media. Some of Cooper's African-American teammates, including quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jason Avant, who is competing with Cooper for a starting job, have come to his defense.
On Thursday, the Eagles released a statement saying that they will seek "outside assistance" to help Cooper understand the severity of his actions.
"In meeting with Riley yesterday, we decided together that his next step will be to seek outside assistance to help him fully understand the impact of his words and actions. He needs to reflect. As an organization, we will provide the resources he needs to do so."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN's "Mike & Mike" radio show that the NFL would not discipline Cooper, as that matter has been handled by the Eagles.
“We do not penalize at the club level and league level for same incident," Goodell said. "We will not be taking action separately from the club."
The Eagles have disclosed that Cooper has been fined, but declined to state the amount of that penalty. Article 42, Section 1(a)(xv) of the 2011 CBA pertains to "Conduct Detrimental to the Club" and allows the team to impose a maximum fine of an amount equal to one week's salary. For Cooper, who is due $630,000 in base salary this season, a one-week fine would be worth $37,059. |
