Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles have endured a lot of roster turnover this offseason, and in a few short months, fans will see whether or not the drastic changes are worth it. One aspect of the tumultuous offseason that has probably not been worth it so far -- at least to Chip Kelly -- has been the way that some of his decisions have led to cries that he is racist.
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LeSean McCoy and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith have both insinuated that race is a factor, and manyoutlets have picked up on their comments. According to Philly Voice, there is an easy solution involving wide receiver Riley Cooper, but Kelly has so far resisted that option.
For those who have forgotten, Cooper was caught on video screaming the n-word while at a country music concert just a few months after Kelly was hired. Cooper received a slap on the wrist, and many forgot about the incident. The players, however, did not.
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And now, in light of the way that Kelly has released several high profile players -- most of whom have been black -- players are looking back on the Cooper incident and wondering if any non-football factors were in play.
Whether or not the suspicions are accurate, Kelly could easily send a loud and clear message by cutting Cooper. Wide receiver is currently something of a weak spot on Philadelphia's roster, which would only amplify the message that Kelly would send by sending Cooper packing.
Based on other available evidence, Kelly is almost certainly not a racist (there are more black players on the roster now than when he took over). But these kinds of debates are usually framed by perceptions instead of facts. If Kelly wants to change the perception, cutting Cooper would be an easy way to go about it.
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