One day after Riley Cooper became a household name for all the wrong reasons, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said punishment for the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver will be left up to the team.
After calling Cooper's racially charged comment "obviously wrong, insensitive and unacceptable," Goodell told ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on Thursday, "He's accepted responsibility for it, he has spoken to his team, he has been disciplined by the club, and will go through some training with the club to understand."
Said Goodell: "I'm glad to see the club stepped up and took a decisive action quickly, and that's the important part of this. We do not penalize at the club level and the league level for the same instance. That's not something that we do (per the collective bargaining agreement). ... We will not be taking action separately from the club."
Cooper was fined an undisclosed amount by the Eagles. According to NFL.com's Albert Breer, language in the CBA states that Cooper -- who is making $630,000 this year -- would be subject to a maximum fine of $37,059.82. Cooper apologized to his teammates Wednesday after a video surfaced of him using racially insensitive language at a Kenny Chesney concert. The fourth-year pro expressed remorse for his comments, telling reporters, "I'm just extremely sorry."
"I know what type of person he is," quarterback Michael Vick told CSNPhilly.com. "That's what makes it hard to understand but easy to forgive him."
Riley is under pressure to step in for the injured Jeremy Maclin. This incident doesn't help the Eagles and it doesn't help Riley, but if the team can put it behind them, it appears Goodell can, too.
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