Howard Smith – USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles are dead wrong in their handling of Riley Cooper in the wake of his hateful and hurtful comments made at a Kenny Chensey Concert in June.
By now, everyone knows what Cooper said. Repeating it does a service to nobody.
However, by fining and sending Cooper to counseling for his actions, which is how the Eagles chose to handle this situation, is a complete disservice to their fanbase and the city of Philadelphia.
What Cooper said has no place in this world. Don’t just take my word for it, here’s owner Jeffrey Lurie in the fallout of Wednesday’s revelation of Cooper’s comments.
“We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper’s words. This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident.”
No place in a civil society? Where does that leave his place on an NFL team?
This is a franchise where the images and quotes of Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa adorn the entryway to its Novacare Complex Headquarters. Where solar panels and wind turbines sit atop its Lincoln Financial Field home.
Going green isn’t just a mantra, but an eco-friendly way of life, here.
Put it short, by and large it is an organization that extols doing things the right way. But in the case of Cooper, they dropped the figurative ball on this one.
Yes, Michael Vick and Cooper’s veteran teammates met with Cooper on Wednesday night and heard his heartfelt apologies with the net result being the 25-year old still being a member of this football team.
But, they shouldn’t have had the chance to even hold that meeting.
If Lurie’s hollow words held any weight, the owner would have cut ties with Cooper for the betterment of his team and his brand.
There’s a time for forgiveness, but in 2013, a comment that ‘has no place in a civil society’ the player who muttered that hateful remark has no place on an NFL field.
Head Coach Chip Kelly intimated Thursday that he is concerned about team division in the fallout of Cooper’s comments. That is reason alone that the Eagles should wash their hands of Cooper and all of this right here and now.
Matt Lombardo is also a sports radio host on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow him on Twitter.
