Riley Cooper Fined By Philadelphia Eagles For Racial Slur, Must Undergo Sensitivity Training

Riley Cooper will have to pay for using a racial slur.

The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver sparked a controversy when he was caught on tape using the n-word at a Kenny Chesney concert this week. He apologized publicly and to teammates, but the Eagles have still levied an undisclosed fine on Cooper.

Video from the concert showed Riley Cooper saying, “I will jump that fence and fight every [N-word] here.”

On Wednesday, Cooper posted an apology on Twitter, 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.”

It appears Cooper may still have some work to do in winning back his teammates, however. At training camp on Thursday he stood mostly by himself, not speaking or interacting with other players.

Some of the Eagles have said they forgive Riley Cooper, saying it shocked them to hear he would use a racial epithet. Quarterback Michael Vick, whose brother Marcus initially put a bounty on Cooper in a now-deleted tweet, said he forgave Cooper.

It did not some so easily for others.

“This is hard to talk about, man. It’s tough, me being an African American and to say that hurts me,” said Cary Williams, who joined the team this year. “It’s a derogatory word. I don’t know him. I did see the tape. It’s disheartening for a guy to say something like that.

“You’re angry. There are several other words he could have said. But he used something that was over the top.”

Riley Cooper still has more work to do for the Eagles as well. The team has mandated that he undergo sensitivity training.