Loose lips sink ships. In the case of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper, spewing out the N-word at a Kenny Chesney music concert like water coming out of a faucet, it may mean the curtailing of an NFL career. That’s debatable right now. But what Cooper successfully did was create a hostile environment in the workplace.
Cooper also put in motion an atmosphere of hate in an area of life where people try to escape reality. Sports, however, is not an island unto itself. Sports mirror society. Sports personalities are flawed like everyone else. They reflect the good, the bad and the ugly.
In the case of Cooper, he decided to go the bad and ugly route. Cooper said one of the ugliest things a person can say to another human being, particularly to an African American. The weight of his words are going to be felt for a long time to come.
During his racist rant that was caught on videotape, Cooper said he would “fight every Nigger here.” Cooper’s alleged target of disdain and disgust was a black security guard. When all else fails many whites tend to fall back on using the N-word as a last resort to insult African Americans and make them feel less as a human being, as a race.
What did that black security guard do or say to to Cooper to be called the most vile word in the English language?
That has yet to be determined. But right about now Cooper has bigger issues to deal with. Riley will have to stand and fight during the upcoming NFL season with every player that walks into the Eagles’ locker room resembling the black security guard he allegedly got into a confrontation with during his now infamous venomous-laced debacle.
Echoing the thoughts of fellow Eagles receiver Jason Avant, this is not a sweep-under-the-rug thing for Cooper, the team or the NFL. The media news cycle may move to other topics, but what Cooper said will not be forgotten. And it shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t let Cooper off the hook. It’s one thing for his teammates to forgive him because they have work alongside him to earn a paycheck for themselves and their families.
It’s quite another ballgame for other African Americans in the rest of society to give him a pass. You can’t say the word Cooper said and think it will all blow over in time. Time supposedly heals all wounds. For African Americans, time has not replaced the hurtful scars the N-word has long been associated with.
The N-word was used to denigrate blacks during slavery. It thrived during Reconstruction. It manifested itself during the era of Jim Crow when white supremacist groups ruled the night with terror.
As much pressure Michael Vick endured from animals rights groups for dogfighting, Cooper should face as much from civil rights activists and organizations.The pressure has to be relenting. It has to mean something. As ESPN First Take analyst Skip Bayless said, Cooper crossed the line.
Cooper uttered the one word that could not only divide a locker room, but render the City of Brotherly Love in racial angst and further fuel the race debate in this country. Cooper is employed by an entity where the majority of its workers are black. He goes to work every day knowing full well he has to line up with and against black men who share his NFL stardom aspirations.
Historically, the N-word represents nothing less than racist contempt towards black Americans. It has been a seed for discrimination and once served as the green light for oppressive actions against people of color. It’s hard for me to imagine that Cooper didn’t know better. It is even harder to believe that Cooper never used that word before as he mentioned during his suck-up, tepid press conference.
Give me a break.
The NBA has been out front and swift in its dealings with inappropriate and unacceptable language used by its star employees. The outcry was far ranging and emotional.
Where does that leave the NFL, Cooper and the Eagles? Well, let’s just say that a slap on the wrist fine and a fake apology is not enough to effectively erase the offensive and hurtful word that came from Cooper’s mouth. The NFL have bailed on the matter, choosing to go along with what the Eagles decide to do.
Cooper’s current punishment does not fit the crime. But I got a feeling that Cooper’s down payment balance of trust and accountability will soon be required to be paid in full.
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com
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