There was a lot of fallout following Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper’s racially insensitive comments at a Kenny Chesney concert earlier this summer. Unfortunately for Cooper the fallout may not be over and could continue well into the season.
Eagles running back Lesean McCoy told PhillyMag.com Thursday, that while people on Riley’s team may have forgiven him, the rest of the league may not be so kind.
“I think for sure a lot of guys are going to try and do dirty things to him. Obviously they are going to say things to get under his skin,” McCoy told the magazine. “For one, they are opponents so they are going to try and do anything to get the advantage. And two, I think maybe some of the words that he did say offended a lot of guys. We definitely have his back. We’re not blind to the fact of what’s going on, so sure a couple of guys will take their shots at him.”
This is definitely a different tune than McCoy was singing before, but he said that he’s since found a way to deal with his original feelings following the incident.
“But now, it seems like normal again,” said the star running back. “He’s interacting with every guy — the offense, the defense, myself. I made some comments about Riley, and then actually now I kind of focus on the old Riley that I knew before the incident, and that’s kind of where I get the satisfaction of, ‘You know, he’s a good guy.’ There is no difference between me and him and other guys.”
Since Cooper’s comments and the immediate aftermath there hadn’t been any major incidents with Cooper and the Eagles—until Tuesday.
Cooper and cornerback Cary Williams (an African-American) got into a fight during practice which sparked questions of whether or not the altercation was racially motivated. Although that may be the case, NFL.com’s Randy Moss reported that Williams has had altercations in the past one of which was recently with teammate Desean Jackson.
For more on the Williams and Cooper Story click here.
The Eagles play their first game Monday night at the Washington Redskins. Gametime is scheduled for 6:55 p.m. ET.
