Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper told the team that he has been the recipient of threatening messages after a video of him using a racial slur went public.
The Eagles said Sunday that Cooper notified them of the threats he received through twitter, but they do not know who has made them. According to reports, the team has notified the league's security department to further investigate the matter.
"Riley Cooper made us aware of the tweets when the video became public," the Eagles said in a statement, according to NFL.com. "He told us that he did not know about the video. He informed us he blocked the tweets because he did not know the person nor understand the context of what that person was threatening."
The Eagles were quick to take action, alerting the league's security department right away.
"We promptly alerted NFL security," the team said in the statement "This information potentially speaks to a legal issue that is a matter between Riley and the authorities. Our focus has been on Riley's words and actions."
Cooper has apologized several times since the video of him making the slur at a Kenny Chesney concert in June went public Wednesday. In response to the slur, the Eagles fined Cooper and he left the team Friday to seek counseling.
Cooper, who is looking to fill a major void in the receiving corps for Philadelphia after Jeremy Maclin went down with a season-ending knee injury, will not lose his roster spot, according to head coach Chip Kelly.
Cooper has just 46 catches and five touchdowns with the team in three seasons, but he's practiced with the starters ever since Maclin went down last week. There is no timetable for Cooper's return, but the Eagles insist his roster spot won't be revoked and they'll announce a decision when they feel the time is right for Cooper to return.
"When we do, we'll make sure we announce it so it's not going to be a surprise to anybody," Kelly said.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
