Michael Vick helps clean up Riley Cooper's mess

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90I7d_LnGgv0Cb0zehlu92yWbs8ViPLB9LpYUUXQlf0CDQVVZ2INi6Nhf7b-xbbiNF-mDhlV7HHkVu53jHnujwrQtOVp4eUMTzrLSUxrwavxkXp-uoV9nd_YUVomwBAAyUOQnz_FcRas/s1600/Michael+Vick+helps+clean+up+Riley+Cooper's+mess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rugby news, latest Michael news" border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90I7d_LnGgv0Cb0zehlu92yWbs8ViPLB9LpYUUXQlf0CDQVVZ2INi6Nhf7b-xbbiNF-mDhlV7HHkVu53jHnujwrQtOVp4eUMTzrLSUxrwavxkXp-uoV9nd_YUVomwBAAyUOQnz_FcRas/s400/Michael+Vick+helps+clean+up+Riley+Cooper's+mess.jpg" title="Rugby news, latest Michael news" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Vick helps clean up Riley Cooper's mess</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/michael-vick-helps-clean-up-riley.html">Michael Vick helps clean up Riley Cooper's mess</a></h2> <div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Eagles quarterback forgave Cooper only hours after his public apology for using a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert in Philadelphia this June. Vick left no room for misinterpretation at a time when subtlety would have been seen as veiled anger:</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "As a team we understood because we all make mistakes in life and we all do and say things that maybe we do mean and maybe we don't mean," Vick said Wednesday. "But as a teammate I forgave him. We understand the magnitude of the situation. We understand a lot of people may be hurt and offended, but I know Riley Cooper. I know him as a man. I've been with him for the last three years and I know what type of person he is. That's what makes it easy, and at the same time, hard to understand. But easy to forgive him."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> What Cooper said can and still may create a huge rift in a locker room, and in the community. It may be "easy to forgive" for some, but certainly not for others. Vick's own brother, Marcus, took to Twitter to call for a bounty on Cooper's head, offering money to the first defender who lays him out in a game. Let's face it: A lot of people want to see that happen.</div> <div> Yet Michael Vick shushed his own brother, cautioning him against showing his own "ignorance." </div> <div> "I don't agree with what my brother is saying," he said. "Riley is still my teammate and he just stood in front of us and apologized for what he said. Somewhere deep down you've got to find some level of respect for that."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> At the end of another upsetting summer for the NFL, in which both players and coaches embarrassed themselves off the field, it's time to celebrate a redemption story. Michael Vick, once among the most despised athletes in sports after being convicted as part of a sick dogfighting ring, is now a mature leader of a major pro franchise. The name on the back of his jersey is no longer just a four-letter word.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Whether he can be a winning quarterback in Philadelphia is a debate for next month. The focus for now should be on how Vick served his punishment, sought out help from men like Tony Dungy, found a new start with a new team, and grew into a place where teammates look to him for guidance. Even a jobs program in a rough part of Cincinnati used Vick as a positive example for those who have made mistakes in their lives. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Nothing can undo the pain Vick inflicted on those dogs, but his personal growth since then is notable, bordering on remarkable.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Vick didn't show off when he won games in Philly, and he didn't sulk when Nick Foles took his starter's job last season. There have been no outbursts, no middle fingers thrust at fans. The only headlines Vick has made since his dogfighting conviction have been football headlines. And now this headline.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Nobody would have blamed Vick for being angry or silent on this issue. What Cooper said was disgusting and an affront to African-Americans (and others). Marcus Vick had a reaction that many would likely have. Michael Vick's reaction was nobler. It was based not in the heat of the moment but the health of the team in the long-term. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> And it was based in religion. A lot of fans and media don't like conflating religion and sports, but here it's relevant and important. Vick seems to have found a new strength in Christianity since coming out of jail, and that strength was reflected in his comments Wednesday. What Vick said was mirrored by the remarks made by another African-American on the team, Jason Avant. The wide receiver is deeply religious, and he reached out to Vick immediately when the quarterback joined the team three years ago.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Michael Vick helps clean up Riley Cooper's mess Michael Vick helps clean up Riley Cooper's mess The Eagles quarterback fo...

Read more »

Eagles' Riley Cooper apologizes for using racial slur

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOik6iD0lRnjEjQrJP90SILo2kk22Pc83o8QSmbl3jSq8mdA7C6zzCrs56oO1dT9ka48E206Yl7gDMEFVPN6G06e39h1IptIPIjNPn8kq5TTYpO6qmFWbGdi-JX-ae5Gz8Ys-7L4RbBxM/s1600/Eagles+Cooper+Footbal_Cham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="RUGBY" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOik6iD0lRnjEjQrJP90SILo2kk22Pc83o8QSmbl3jSq8mdA7C6zzCrs56oO1dT9ka48E206Yl7gDMEFVPN6G06e39h1IptIPIjNPn8kq5TTYpO6qmFWbGdi-JX-ae5Gz8Ys-7L4RbBxM/s400/Eagles+Cooper+Footbal_Cham.jpg" title="RUGBY" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/eagles-riley-cooper-apologizes-for.html">Eagles' Riley Cooper apologizes for using racial slur</a></h2> Saying he was "ashamed and disgusted" with himself, Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper apologized repeatedly for making a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert that was caught on video and led to him getting fined.<br /> <br /> The video of Cooper using the n-word surfaced Wednesday on the website CrossingBroad.com. Cooper issued a statement of apology then met with reporters outside the team's practice facility.<br /> <br /> "This is the lowest of lows," Cooper said. "This is not the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn't the type of person I am. I'm extremely sorry."<br /> <br /> Cooper said he was drinking when he directed the slur at an African-American security guard at the concert in June.<br /> <br /> "That's no excuse for what I said. I don't use that term," he said. "I was raised better than that. I have a great mom and dad and they're disgusted with my actions."<br /> <br /> Cooper said he was fined a significant amount of money by the Eagles.<br /> <br /> "We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper's words," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society.  He has accepted responsibility for his words and his actions. He has been fined for this incident."<br /> <br /> The league released the following statement: "The NFL stands for diversity and inclusion. Comments like this are wrong, offensive, and unacceptable."<br /> <br /> A fifth-round pick out of Florida, Cooper is entering his fourth season in the NFL. He has 46 catches and five touchdowns in three years with the Eagles.<br /> <br /> Cooper had tentatively moved into a starting role after Jeremy Maclin tore his right ACL in practice last Saturday. Still, he's not guaranteed a roster spot in Chip Kelly's new offense.<br /> <br /> "I'm willing to accept all consequences," Cooper said. "I know no one in Philadelphia is happy with me right now. I accept that. I hope they see the true me and accept my apology. I know it will take a while."<br /> <br /> Cooper apologized to teammates after talking to the media.<br /> <br /> "As a team we understood because we all make mistakes in life and we all do and say things that maybe we do mean and maybe we don't mean," Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said. "But as a teammate I forgave him. We understand the magnitude of the situation. We understand a lot of people may be hurt and offended, but I know Riley Cooper. I know him as a man. I've been with him for the last three years and I know what type of person he is. That's what makes it easy, and at the same time, hard to understand. But easy to forgive him."<br /> <br /> Vick also rebuked his brother, Marcus Vick, for profanity-laced tweets, including one offering a $1,000 bounty for any player who lays Cooper out in a game. Marcus Vick later deleted all the tweets.<br /> <br /> "To address my brother's situation and what he's saying, I don't think it's really relevant," Vick said. "You can't allow yourself to be encumbered in what's going on. I don't agree with what my brother is saying. Riley is still my teammate and he just stood in front of us and apologized for what he said. Somewhere deep down you've got to find some level of respect for that. To people in the outside world who don't know how we're dealing with it, they're going to forge their own opinions, but my brother has to not show a certain level of ignorance himself."</div>

Eagles' Riley Cooper apologizes for using racial slur Saying he was "ashamed and disgusted" with himself, Eagles wide rec...

Read more »

U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiah3Mmjz-iP-OHN3SyAfCFGAXvRst1ntp9qtN3J9f510BtZWKXomFp0xtZHaK9MBZSl63l8aMNWdsQC6hGxrwrXSqEXQ2VeH-1ZW7lZfsujpl73TjcsQA_wQh_rNHcZXfyvqS2e_d78jU/s1600/US-Marines-Afghanistan--T-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiah3Mmjz-iP-OHN3SyAfCFGAXvRst1ntp9qtN3J9f510BtZWKXomFp0xtZHaK9MBZSl63l8aMNWdsQC6hGxrwrXSqEXQ2VeH-1ZW7lZfsujpl73TjcsQA_wQh_rNHcZXfyvqS2e_d78jU/s400/US-Marines-Afghanistan--T-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 26px; line-height: 1.21em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha</h1> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha</h3> <div> U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will meet the Taliban next week in talks in Doha aimed at achieving peace in Afghanistan, where the United States has battled Taliban insurgents for 12 years, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, but warned that the process will likely be lengthy.</div> <div> U.S. officials said the Taliban will issue a statement Tuesday opposing the use of Afghan soil for attacks on other countries and that they support an Afghan peace process.</div> <div> The United States will insist the Taliban break ties with Al Qaeda, end violence, and accept the Afghan constitution, including protection for women and minorities, the officials told reporters in a conference call.</div> <div> "This is but the first step in what will be a long road," one U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.</div> </div> </div>

U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha U.S. to hold Afghan peace talks with Taliban in Doha U.S. to hold Afghan peace ...

Read more »