It’s not unusual for teammates to get into a scuffle at practice, but there’s a little more to this story. Unfortunately, I think Riley Copper is going to have a few of these throughout the season and I’m not talking about with just his teammates. In case you need a refresher, Riley Cooper is the guy that was caught on tape saying, “I Will Fight Every N—– Here.” Some players like Michael Vick have forgiven him…others not so much.
Details of what happened today after the jump…
Via ESPN:
Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper and cornerback Cary Williams had to be separated by teammates — twice — after getting into a shoving match at practice Thursday morning.
Cooper made headlines early in training camp when a video surfaced of him using a racial epithet at a June concert. Williams was one of several African-American players on the Eagles who expressed concern about being able to accept the fourth-year pro as a teammate, but the matter receded beneath the surface as the Eagles got on with camp and the preseason.
Williams was covering Cooper during a non-contact drill Thursday when the two got hold of each other and began scuffling. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, if anything, over the loud music coach Chip Kelly favors during practice.
Cornerback Brandon Boykin helped separate the two. Cooper walked off, but Williams threw his helmet to the ground and pursued him. At that point, quarterback Michael Vick grabbed Williams and calmed him down.
(Story Continues…)
—–
Side Note: Williams was not so forgiving when the racist slur was used – his reaction HERE.
—
VIDEO via BSO:
—-
UPDATE via Philly:
Riley Cooper said it was nothing, two guys tangled in a one-on-one drill who got up and went at each other.
But Vick was visibly upset in the locker room afterward.
Approached first by a Daily News reporter who congratulated him for being a peacemaker, Vick said: “I try to be the peacemaker, but these young dudes don’t respect me.” He was taking a phone call, which cut off further dialogue right then, but he jerked his head in the direction of Williams.
Later, after the call, Vick said, with emotion in his voice: “Our maturity level’s gotta be on a whole different plane. Regardless of who the catalyst was for the whole fight, that doesn’t matter. We’ve gotta be men. We’re not guys who are out on the street, fighting one another. We’re teammates … It’s game week. We don’t have time for that. I don’t. It’s a distraction.”
When asked if he was OK with Williams in the aftermath, Vick said: “Oh, yeah, 20 seconds and that’s it. Everybody moves on.’
