What Philly residents are saying about Riley Cooper

Sportswriters, Eagles players and even the district attorney have weighed in on the racial slur wide receiver Riley Cooper used at a Kenny Chesney concert.

But what does the public at large think? Is Cooper's reputation, or the team's reputation, damaged?

We asked Philadelphians at the Gallery this afternoon what they thought of Cooper's remarks. Here are some of their responses:

Raechie Davis: "It's like what Jason Avant said. You can't judge a man by what he says. You can disagree with his opinion. But that's not who he is as a man."

(Avant, also an Eagles wide receiver, said his teammate's comments hurt but he would "deal with it as a Christian." Avant also said he did not think Cooper was racist, describing how Cooper acted toward injured teammate Jeremy Maclin on Saturday.)

James Cameron: "He made a statement that was wrong. He apologized. He said he did it out of anger. But when you're in the forefront, you can't make statements like that. These are the same people that come to see you play. If you get them disliking you, you're not going to have a career. He's human. He's young. He made a mistake. If he doesn't make it again, that's a good thing."

Khalil King: "I don't have a personal agenda against him. He's a football player. They're making it a bigger deal than it was. I love Riley Cooper. He's my favorite player, actually."

Debbie Bush: "Everyone uses that word. I think it was one of those things where he got caught using it. I don't think he was using it in a derogatory way. I'm not saying it's okay. Some people use it; you can be mutual friends with someone of another race and use it."

Louis DeCero: "I believe that when it comes to racial slurs, we're not meaning it in a racial way. It comes out. The one thing I don't agree with is how Marcus Vick put a hit out on his head. They should just drop the whole thing. They should both get in trouble. Riley Cooper was just mad. When they get mad at each other, they might say that word. You're not racist. You're just saying it to antagonize the other person."

(Vick, the younger brother of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, tweeted that he was "putting a bounty" on Riley's head.)

Terrence Oliver: "He meant that. Liquor gets the truth out of you. When that rage came out, that was true emotion. Don't say that's not how you are."