No matter how many times teammates come out and say they accept Riley Cooper's apology, he still remains the elephant on the practice field. After a video of the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver yelling a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert went viral, Cooper's days on the team continue to feel numbered. While teammates like Michael Vick continue to say they forgive Cooper, they certainly are not forgetting the statements he made.
Cooper has released several apologies for the video, but that does not take back what happen. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie came out saying he was both "shocked and appalled" at the comments made by Cooper. He stressed the Eagles organization does not condone that type of behavior or attitude and the receiver must accept the consequences on his actions. Could that mean a release is looming?
The Eagles are already down one leading wide receiver after Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL at the start of training camp. Cooper was expected to step up and take on more of the workload in his absence along with teammate DeSean Jackson. Philadelphia has 11 other wide receivers on the training camp roster. Cooper is not a star. In three seasons with the team, he has caught just 46 passes for five touchdowns. He is replaceable.
Head coach Chip Kelly admits that Cooper's comments could potentially divide the locker room, something he does not want with his team. While Vick stressed he would not let that happen and Kelly told the media he had ever thought about releasing Cooper from the team, the issue will not go away.
"It's a very hot topic," Kelly said. "That's why I encourage our group and our team, we talked about it [Wednesday] night at the team meeting, we have to have some open communication to make sure that everybody understands what went on, and then what Riley's doing to atone for that."
Cooper is officially a distraction and when a player gets hit with that label, the clock is ticking. Ask Terrell Owens how the Eagles feel about locker room distractions. Ask Tim Tebow how the Jets felt about his presence on the team with the media attention surrounding him. Cooper's comments hit everyone hard, no matter if that is the guy they are used to seeing or not.
ESPN raises an interesting point, if Maclin had not torn his ACL, would Cooper already be released from the team? While Philadelphia might be keen on trying to give the wide receiver a second chance, his career in Philly might not survive this. Not only does he need to win his teammates back, he needs to win the fans over too. As the Eagles try and move forward, a release might be the only option.