Riley Cooper apologizes after using racial slur
Embarrassed Eagles receiver Riley Cooper stood fittingly with his back to a wall outside the team’s training complex press room Wednesday night, apologizing for a racial epithet used after a confrontation with an African American security guard working a June 8 Kenny Chesney concert.
The six-minute, 45-second apology – which followed a Twitter apology – was only the beginning for Cooper, who was fined an undisclosed amount by the team and now awaits word on whether the NFL will tack on more discipline.
The receiver said he intended to apologize later to his teammates, many of whom are African American, following a 7 p.m. walk-through practice.
Riley Cooper.
Saying he was “ashamed and disgusted” with himself, Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper apologized repeatedly for making a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert that was caught on video and led to him getting fined.
The video of Cooper using the n-word surfaced Wednesday on the website CrossingBroad.com. Cooper issued a statement of apology then met with reporters outside the team’s practice facility.
“This is the lowest of lows” – Cooper said. “This is not the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn’t the type of person I am. I’m extremely sorry.”
Cooper said he was drinking when he directed the slur at an African-American security guard at the concert in June.
“That’s no excuse for what I said. I don’t use that term” – he said. “I was raised better than that. I have a great mom and dad and they’re disgusted with my actions.”
This isn’t the first time that Marcus Vick has taken to Twitter to express his opinion on something – he also compared the George Zimmerman trial to Michael Vick’s legal woes, asked the Eagles to trade his brother, and made fun of the Arizona Cardinals – but this is the first time he’s offered a bounty on someone.
What Cooper said was deplorable, but lets all remember, two wrongs don’t make a right. Michael Vick was asked about Marcus’ tweet on Wednesday: “I don’t agree with what my brother is saying” – Michael told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Marcus Vick has since deleted the bounty tweet, but you can still see it in the screengrab above.