"It was nothing." That is how Riley Cooper is describing the fight that took place between he and Cary Williams at Eagles practice yesterday. The wide receiver insists that it was simply a matter of two players getting overly competitive and not what everyone assumed it was over. Naturally when news broke over the fight, it was assumed the racial slur video played a heavy role, something all Eagles are denying.
"Any time there's something extra on the field with Riley and another teammate or an opponent, that's the first thing that's going to come up -- especially if the guy's black," running back LeSean McCoy said, via ESPN.com.
Cooper continues to find himself in hot water after a video emerged of the wide receiver using a racial slur while attending a Kenny Chesney concert. The Eagles opted to not release the fourth-year receiver, instead fining him and allowing him to attend counseling. Cooper then went on an apologizing tour, addressing the media, his teammates and also posting a statement on Twitter.
While many of the Eagles players spoke out in support of Cooper, Williams was one player that was not totally ready to forgive the receiver. He told reporters after the incident that the team was divided over the matter and Cooper was the elephant in the locker room.
"I think there's no place for that word in anybody's language," Williams said. "It's still the same meaning, it's still a harsh word. ... I think that's one thing we have to work on as a community as far as black people and just taking it out of our vocabulary."
Williams added that the video was very disheartening to see, especially knowing it was his teammate that used the word. Head coach Chip Kelly knew the incident was going to be tough to handle, but he supported Cooper and was hopeful that the team would eventually move on from it. Things appeared to have quiet down until the fight broke out.
The scuffle occurred during one-on-one drills. Cooper was going up for a pass while Williams was defending him. The two ended up fighting and teammates had to step in and physically remove the two off each other. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Cooper took himself out of the drills and was visibly upset on the sidelines. DeSean Jackson stepped in and talked to both players.
"We got tangled up going for the ball," Cooper said. "We both ended up on the ground -- which you don't want to do in practice, especially in the season. No one wants to end up on the ground going for a ball because that's when injuries happen."
Jackson is hopeful that this type of incident is not going to happen again. The wide receiver notes that fighting will not help the team win any games during the season. Vick also added that he is just trying to be a peacemaker and he is hopeful that the fight will not turn into something bigger.
