Receiver Riley Cooper spent much of Thursday's practice standing
alone, isolated from teammates when he wasn't participating in
first-team repetitions. He has learned acceptance won't come easily from
everyone in the Philadelphia Eagles' locker room — starting with Cary
Williams.
Cooper, who has apologized after being caught on video using a racial slur in an argument with an African-American security guard at a June concert, has been fined an undisclosed amount by the team and ordered by the organization to undergo sensitivity training.
He apologized to teammates hours after the video became public Wednesday, and many — like Williams — said they had forgiven him.
BELL: Cooper's mistake provides lesson
MORE: Michael Vick forgives Cooper
But Williams said Thursday that healing the broken trust will take time because the racial slur "puts a damper to my spirits to what type of person he is. I'm more cautious now to approach him."
In the video, Cooper vowed to "jump that fence and fight every (N-word) here, bro."
Williams, a former Baltimore Ravens cornerback who was still getting to know Cooper, said he was crushed.
"This is hard to talk about, man. It's tough, me being an African American and to say that hurts me," Williams said after practice. "It's a derogatory word. I don't know him. I did see the tape. It's disheartening for a guy to say something like that.
"You're angry. There are several other words he could have said. But he used something that was over the top."
Williams was asked if he can put Cooper's epithet behind him.
"It takes time, man," he said. "It's something Riley has the potential to learn from and understand the harshness of how he came at that guy. I'm a forgiving person. So we can't throw the book at the guy, can't disown him. We can get through it, eventually. But right now it's fresh.
"In the locker room, he seemed like a pretty cool dude. He didn't seem like a racist. I just think he made a mistake."
Cooper, who has apologized after being caught on video using a racial slur in an argument with an African-American security guard at a June concert, has been fined an undisclosed amount by the team and ordered by the organization to undergo sensitivity training.
He apologized to teammates hours after the video became public Wednesday, and many — like Williams — said they had forgiven him.
BELL: Cooper's mistake provides lesson
MORE: Michael Vick forgives Cooper
But Williams said Thursday that healing the broken trust will take time because the racial slur "puts a damper to my spirits to what type of person he is. I'm more cautious now to approach him."
In the video, Cooper vowed to "jump that fence and fight every (N-word) here, bro."
Williams, a former Baltimore Ravens cornerback who was still getting to know Cooper, said he was crushed.
"This is hard to talk about, man. It's tough, me being an African American and to say that hurts me," Williams said after practice. "It's a derogatory word. I don't know him. I did see the tape. It's disheartening for a guy to say something like that.
"You're angry. There are several other words he could have said. But he used something that was over the top."
Williams was asked if he can put Cooper's epithet behind him.
"It takes time, man," he said. "It's something Riley has the potential to learn from and understand the harshness of how he came at that guy. I'm a forgiving person. So we can't throw the book at the guy, can't disown him. We can get through it, eventually. But right now it's fresh.
"In the locker room, he seemed like a pretty cool dude. He didn't seem like a racist. I just think he made a mistake."
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