Now, this does not mean Riley Cooper has been released by the Eagles, at least not yet. The Eagles have excused Riley from team activities indefinitely, so he can attend sensitivity training. The reasoning seems to be that team officials are smart enough to realize the atmosphere in the locker room is still very tense and it might be in the best interest of the team if Cooper is not around for now. Hit the jump to see what they said.
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Here is the statement the team released today:
As we have said, Riley Cooper will be seeking counseling and we have excused him from all team activities. This is all new territory and we are going to evaluate this timetable every step of the way. He will meet with professionals provided by the Eagles during this period of time to better help him understand how his words have hurt so many, including his teammates.”
This was the statement Cooper himself released today as well:
The last few days have been incredibly difficult for me. My actions were inexcusable. The more I think about what I did, the more disgusted I get. I keep trying to figure out how I could have said something so repulsive, and what I can do to make things better. Right now, I think it’s important for me to take some time to reflect on this situation. The organization and my teammates have been extremely supportive, but I also realize that there are people who will have a tough time forgiving me for what I’ve done. The best thing for me, and for the team, is to step away for a period of time.
During this time I’m going to be speaking with a variety of professionals to help me better understand how I could have done something that was so offensive, and how I can start the healing process for everyone. As long as it takes, and whatever I have to do, I’m going to try to make this right.”
This move really puts the team down at the wide receiver position, especially after losing Jeremy Maclin for the season with his ACL injury. But at the moment this seems to be the right move, even though some may argue that they should keep Cooper around in an effort to help get the team past this time, so they can build together. I personally would not be surprised if this is the first step to permanently removing Cooper from the Eagles completely.
