Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper practices at the team's NFL football training facility, Tuesday, June 4, 2013, in Philadelphia. (Photo: Matt Rourke, AP)
Riley Cooper has made his public and private apologies, and now he has been furloughed by the Philadelphia Eagles -- to keep him out of what could be an explosive locker room and to concentrate on the team-mandated sensitivity training.
Or, maybe this is simply the next step in dumping him.
Regardless of the outcome, in counseling, Cooper can expect to be taught how to repair his relationship with his teammates -- those in Philadelphia or on his next team -- through his actions, not just his words.
The Eagles wide receiver is required to attend training sessions away from the team after a video surfaced Wednesday of Cooper using a racial slur while attending a Kenny Chesney concert this summer. The Eagles also fined Cooper an undisclosed amount.
The sensitivity training is a sign the Eagles (and the NFL) are serious about changing Cooper's behavior and helping Cooper improve his relationship with his co-workers, said Deborah Weinstein, a Philadelphia employment lawyer and president of the Weinstein Firm, which provides group and individual sensitivity training.
"If this doesn't reflect a person's values, they need to make sure when they talk and act in the future, it comports with who they believe they are," Weinstein told USA TODAY Sports. "We don't focus on changing someone's attitude or beliefs in short-term sensitivity training. We want to train people to act professionally and responsibly. "
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Weinstein, whose firm has not been contacted by the Eagles to work with Cooper, said it is unusual for her firm to do individual sessions, but when those calls come, it is usually for cases very similar to what happened with Cooper and the Eagles, where a person said or did something that was deemed offensive to co-workers.
Weinstein said in her experience, most people sent by their employers for sensitivity training have regretted their words or behavior, or, like Cooper, has expressed shame. Apologies, like the one Cooper issued Wednesday to the media and then privately to teammates, are important, but not as important as what will come next.
"We encourage people to give those apologies," Weinstein said. "But the cat is out of the bag, the damage is done. By the time they get to us, the important thing is to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Weinstein said Cooper could expect a training curriculum, taught by a human resources professional or an employment lawyer, which is individually tailored for his specific incident. The training, which often occurs over two three- to four-hour sessions, would likely include lessons about how he can be more in tune to how and why his words were offensive.
A short-term stint in sensitivity training isn't intended to change a person's core beliefs, but rather to promote respectful behavior within a work environment, Weinstein said.
For Cooper, this means how he will act in a locker room that includes many African-American teammates.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @ByLindsayHJones."The other important thing is when we are reacting to something that has already happened is to drive home to the individual is that they need to take this very, very seriously. There are no second chances after this," Weinstein said.
"Just the fact that the person is in training, engaging with the trainer and focusing on their own behavior can really make a very big difference moving forward. We want to intervene and make a difference - so employer has sense of confidence that this sort of thing won't happen again."
