Riley Cooper’s got to wish he had that moment at the Kenny Chesney Concert back. That moment when beer muscles went to his head, blocked the proper operation of his brain, and resulted in his now famous “I’ll fight every n-word in here,” blast, followed by some woman pointing out that he said the word for good measure.
If Riley Cooper were just some thug who got thrown out of a concert, it would be no news. But Riley Cooper’s a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and works around black players on a daily basis. Thus the average reaction to the video was one of surprise. Mr. Cooper? A racist? No way.
Well, after the dust settled, the idea that they just might be harboring a true anti-black racist started to hit home with some Philadelphia Eagles players. Some let it vent in a behind closed doors meeting, saying that they could not and would not protect him from other NFL players who made the pass catcher a marked man. Eventually, it seemed, and sadly, that having Cooper on the team created a situation that was too hot to handle.
Riley Cooper left the team temporarily.
The question is will he, and should he comeback?
Stay tuned.