Second Chances

     We have all said or done something that was totally stupid, whether we put our foot in our mouth or acted irresponsibly.   Riley Cooper, in just one word, fixed a label on himself as a racist.  The kid (yep, all of 25) made an egregious error by using a racial slur.   Probably fueled by a few beers, his Jiminy Cricket was on snooze.  He has publicly apologized and from watching his demeanor and body language, I believe he is truly embarrassed and sorry for the incident.

But will he be given a second chance?   I would certainly hope so, especially on a team that includes Michael Vick, whose mistakes left a trail of dead and mangled dogs and landed him in jail.   All that seems to be forgotten now.   If he envisions himself the leader of the Eagles, Vick should be the first one to extend a hand to Cooper and help him understand what his actions have done.   Not with condemnation, but in a human being helping a human being manner.   Team mates need to talk with Riley and let them know how they feel, and offer a way to move on. They also need to look at themselves and realize that they are not all that perfect either.  I hope for the sake of this kid, his team mates step up.  They can make this a chance to improve him or ruin the rest of his life.  Coach Kelly may be a first year NFL coach, but if any one is capable of handling difficult player situations he is the guy.   LaGarrette Blount and Kiko Alonso are a couple of examples.   I have faith in the Chip, but now is the chance to see what the Eagles players are really made of.   I hope for the best.

Quoting from the Human League's song Human

'I'm only human
Of flesh and blood I'm made
Human
Born to make mistakes"