From the moment we saw the video of Riley Cooper’s racist outburst at a Kenny Chesney concert earlier this summer, we have been waiting for the alcohol talk to kick in. Whether Cooper is actually a racist or not, it seemed like a safe assumption that he was feeling the effects of alcohol when he decided to let an N-bomb fly. That assumption was apparently correct.
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, who was with Cooper at the Chesney concert, told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday that he was “embarrassed” to have been at the same concert where the incident took place. He also said Cooper is not a racist.
[Video: Riley Cooper uses racial slur at Kenny Chesney concert]
“Riley was my friend before the fact and he’s still my friend and teammate going forward,” Kelce said. “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.”
Kelce added that he didn’t actually remember the offensive words coming out of Cooper’s mouth, but he did recall a confrontation between the 25-year-old and some security guards.
“To be honest, I don’t really recall the whole incident and what was said,” he 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.
“I honestly don’t recall those words being spoken at the time. Obviously, it’s not an excuse, regardless of what was said, to say that.”
We have seen mixed reactions from the Eagles since the video surfaced on Wednesday. Michael Vick, who knows a thing or two about being hated, said Cooper apologized to him and he has forgiven him. LeSean McCoy agreed that Cooper is forgiven, but he said he cannot respect a person who says something like that.
In addition to entering sensitivity training and paying a fine, Cooper should probably lay off the alcohol. From the sound of it, drinking made the situation worse at the concert.
