Cooper Offers Word Salad ‘Apology’ For His Pair Of Arrests

It’s always interesting to note the wording in the apologies of prominent athletes when they get in trouble for doing something bad, and Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper fell back on the usual word-salad formula for these things when he spoke to Jeff Legwold of ESPN after returning to practice on Wednesday. 

Cooper was asked what he would say to people, particularly female fans, for his role in the domestic violence incident that resulted in a pair of arrest and charges that included felony assault. 

The key phrase in Cooper’s response was “I do apologize for anybody’s feelings.” That’s a different phrase than “I apologize for what I did," and the linebacker also offered a word-salad pot pourri that included phrases like “relationships are difficult,” “I’m a grown man,” and “I’m able to take things on the chin.” 

This last was especially tough to stomach, given that his victim was the one who ended up doing that and then some according to the material from police reports and the medical follow-up. 

All of that was apparently enough for Cooper to add “no excuses” to “I do hold myself accountable” and things “sorting themselves out,” even though these charges are based on a lot more than that. 

No matter. Cooper will be back on the field now, and that’s what matters to fans the most. It’s always about the laundry, and fans will almost always back the player, regardless of what’s involved. 

The process of getting his trial date moved was even more revealing. Cooper needed court permission to travel out of state for this Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, and his lawyer mentioned possibly being able to travel for the Super Bowl, although the judge obviously didn’t like that much and put that part of the process on hold for the moment. 

The Broncos are currently in scramble mode, and Cooper will help with the on-the-field part of that. Their defense got Denver a win against the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday as they sacked quarterback Sam Darnold five times and registered quarterback hits, and while it’s hard to imagine the defense doing better, Cooper will clearly improve the defense. 

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the Broncos are going to have to rely on their defense to win games in an even bigger way, though. Quarterback Bo Nix is a mess, and the idea that he can be “fixed” as he continues to deal with the aftermath of a broken ankle is starting to sound increasingly far fetched. 

Jonathon Cooper the linebacker will help with all that. Jonathon Cooper the person is a completely different matter, as he just proved with this “apology.”