After taking some time away from his team following his oft-documented adventures in racism at that fateful Kenny Chesney concert, Riley Cooper has officially rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles, which obviously includes him rejoining the teammates he offended with his drunken behavior. While some may be expecting some public backlash against the Eagles receiver, it appears as if another avenue is being traveled: genuine forgiveness.
The news of Cooper’s return to the Eagles came courtesy of Chris Mortensen’s Twitter:
Riley Cooper is at Eagles facility this morning.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 6, 2013
Eagles confirm Riley Cooper will practice vs Patriots today after a "good" meeting with Chip Kelly.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 6, 2013
As for the forgiving attitude towards Cooper, it is perhaps best captured by Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback column, which contains the following quote from Mike Vick, a player who knows a thing or two about public forgiveness:
“Just because he made that one mistake doesn’t mean he can’t overcome it,” Vick said. “Or he can’t be condemned for it. Everybody deserves a second chance … Just for one second, expand your mind. Expand your mind and have supernatural thinking about it. Everything doesn’t have to be negative. Everything can be fixed. So many people forgave me. And it took time. It’s still taking time.”
There was also an interesting point offered by ex-Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin, and while that may be somewhat unexpected, it doesn’t make his statements any less compelling, especially when he discusses the morass surrounding the infamous word itself:
It was, however, Adam Scheffter who encapsulated the entire NFL offseason by tweeting about one simple picture he posted on his Instagram account:
For those who aren’t sure, that’s Tim Tebow, Riley Cooper, and Aaron Hernandez when they played for the Florida Gators. I’m sure Urban Meyer would look at that particular picture with the same kind of pride a father has for his daughter’s first recital.
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