Do you remember Riley Cooper? He played wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-2015 before announcing his retirement in 2017.
Well Cooper was trending on Twitter Friday, and no, it’s not because he declared he was making a return to the league. Rather, Cooper trended on Twitter because so many people were referencing him in response to the latest Antonio Brown allegations.
Brown was alleged to have called Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock a “cracker,” though Brown has denied that report.
What does this have to do with Cooper?
In 2013, a video was released showing Cooper at a Kenny Chesney concert saying he would “fight every n—er here.”
Cooper apologized after the video was released, saying he was “ashamed and disgusted” with himself. Cooper played three more seasons in the NFL before his career ended.
Some people on Twitter were trying to use the negative public treatment of Cooper after that video was released as a comparison to Brown’s alleged “cracker” remark to prove a double-standard.
Let me explain a few things here. Yes, there is a double-standard between what the politically correct crowd finds acceptable for different groups of people to say. But there are also a few differences between these circumstances.
Cooper was caught on video using the absolute worst slur for black people, and he meant it. “Cracker” is not on the same level as the N-word. Also, and more importantly, there is no debating whether or not Cooper said it. With Brown, we’re basing this on a report that he denies. It’s much harder to hold him accountable for something he denies saying compared to something that was caught on video where there is definitive proof.
Either way, Cooper probably wishes he weren’t even brought up in this context.
