Riley Cooper has been fined by the Philadelphia Eagles and will be sent to sensitivity training after being caught in a video using a racial slur at a concert. Although his punishment has been handed down, Cooper will still be judged for years to come in the court of public opinion.
One of Cooper’s teammates who was with him at the Kenny Chesney show is speaking out, not defending Cooper but also insisting that the receiver is not actually a racist. Jason Kelce spoke with the The Philadelphia Inquirer and said he still considers Cooper a friend.
“Riley was my friend before the fact and he’s still my friend and teammate going forward,” Kelce said Thursday. “Anybody that really knows him knows he’s not a racist … but sometimes he can get a little bit out of control. We were both pretty intoxicated on the day.”
Several members of the Eagles were brought onstage during the concert, and Cooper’s altercation with an African American security guard came after the fact. Kelce, however, says he can’t remember hearing what Cooper said.
“To be honest, I don’t really recall the whole incident and what was said,” Kelce said. “Really, all I recall was a huge altercation between him and a few security guards. I was trying to calm him down at the time and trying to separate all of them.”
