Riley Cooper vows apology to black teammates after slur

PHILADELPHIA – 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.

VIDEO: Cooper's outburst

"It's going to be very difficult for me. I'm going to tell them, 'I'm extremely sorry,' tell them exactly what I'm telling you guys. There was a confrontation and I handled it extremely, extremely poorly,'' Cooper said to 25 reporters and six local television cameras. "This is kind of the lowest of lows. This isn't the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn't the type of person that I am.

"I know no one in Philadelphia is happy with me right now. I accept that. I just hope they see the true me. And accept my apology.''

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to say if the league would take further discipline, adding, "The NFL stands for diversity and inclusion. Comments like this are wrong, offensive, and unacceptable."

In a video that has gone viral, Cooper said, "I will jump that fence and fight every (N-word) here, bro."

He was asked if he had too much to drink that night, when he also was caught on video in a heated argument.

"I was drinking,'' he said. "But that is no excuse for what I said and what I did. I'm willing to accept any consequences.''

Cooper was asked how he let a racial slur, shown on CrossingBroad.com, come out of his mouth?

"I shouldn't have,'' Cooper said. "I'm disgusted. And I'm sorry. That's not the type of person I am. I wasn't raised that way. I have a great mom and dad at home. And they're extremely, extremely disappointed in me. They are disgusted with my actions."

Cooper's profane epithet was the first test of first-year coach Chip Kelly's crisis management.

"He said, 'Go out and face this and tell them exactly what you just told me, how sorry you are for what you said,''' Cooper said.

The fourth-year receiver, who is the team's No. 2 receiver opposite DeSean Jackson following last weekend's season-ending knee injury suffered by Jeremy Maclin, said he met with owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and Kelly.

Cooper declined to reveal the amount he was fined, but said the punishment was a joint decision by the three.

"It was a good amount of money, but that's really not important,'' he said. "The situation should not have been dealt with the way I dealt with it.''

Laurie said in a statement: "We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper's words. This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident."

Cooper was asked if he expects to be a marked man in the league now.

"I haven't thought that far ahead,'' he said. "I just know how sorry I am right now.''

Curiously, Marcus Vick, brother of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, placed a $1,000 bounty on Cooper via Twitter on Wednesday night, offering the money to any safety who laid a good lick on the receiver. Later, after being criticized by his brother, Marcus Vick deleted the tweet.

If there is someone Cooper can look to for a road back, it is former NFL quarterback Kerry Collins, who used a racial slur in jest after a night out drinking with black teammates on the Carolina Panthers in the late 1990s before the New York Giants threw Collins a lifeline and he made the most of it, leading the team to the Super Bowl in the 2000 season.

Before that, Collins was arrested for drunken driving and was accused by Carolina Panthers teammates of quitting on his team.

"I've been called a racist, a drunk and a quitter. Other than that, I'm fine,'' Collins said at the time.

After he apologized once more, Cooper left to say he was sorry to those he must convince of his contrition – his teammates.

"Most of the ones that know me, they know what kind of person I am,'' he said.

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