Cooper has been in hot water since an Internet video surfaced with him using a racial slur in a dispute with an African-American security officer. Upon his return, the NFL player said he had spoken with each of his teammates individually, asking them not to forgive him for his actions but to give him a second chance.
“I talked to everyone individually,” he said, following the team’s practice. “I told them, ‘I don’t want you to forgive me because that puts the burden on you. I want it all on me.’ I told them that, and I told them I apologize. They could tell it was from the heart, they know I’m not that kind of person. It feels good to have support from the guys.”
Cooper added that he felt that 100 percent of his teammates were in support of him, something he observed upon his return to the field.
“It felt good to be out there with the guys and catching and running and making some plays and them coming up to you, supporting you, high-fiving you, chest-bumping you like Jason Avant did in the end zone when I had that TD,” Cooper said. “It just felt good to be back out here with the guys.”
