National Football League

Goodell: NFL can't punish Cooper

Published Aug. 1, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The NFL will not discipline Riley Cooper.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday that he will let the Philadelphia Eagles punish the fourth-year wide receiver, whose racially insensitive comments emerged Wednesday, without additional penalties from the league because of the league's collective bargaining agreement prevents it.

Goodell said on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning” that Cooper’s comments were “obviously wrong, insensitive and unacceptable” and then added “He’s accepted responsibility for it, he has spoken to his team, he has been disciplined by the club, and will go through some training with the club to understand.

"I'm glad to see the club stepped up and took a decisive action quickly, and that's the important part of this. We do not penalize at the club level and the league level for the same instance. That's not something that we do (per the collective bargaining agreement) ... We will not be taking action separately from the club."

Cooper was caught on video, which went public Wednesday, using a racial slur at a concert in June. He apologized to his teammates and others for the remarks.

''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.''

Cooper said he was drinking when he directed the slur at an African-American security guard at the concert.

''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.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.