Raiders safety straightened out life

COOPER WAS ‘WILD’ BUT CLEANED UP HIS ACT AFTER PANTHERS CUT HIM

When Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney summoned Jarrod Cooper almost 14 months ago, the player had a feeling his life was about to change.

Fox told Cooper his offfield activities — partying, driving while intoxicated — made him fear for the safety’s well-being beyond football. ‘‘Coach Fox sat me down,’’ Cooper said, ‘‘and said, ‘Coop, I care about you as a player and as a person. If you keep going down this path, once you’re through playing football, it’s not going to be pretty.’ ’’

Fox then did what he felt was best: He cut Cooper in midseason.

Cooper, 27, was claimed off waivers by the Raiders the next day and has transformed himself into a more complete player. Along the way, he has straightened out a life that once seemed destined to end in tragedy.

‘‘My alter ego used to be ‘The Juice,’ ’’ Cooper said. ‘‘He’s dead. I’m in a great place now.’’

Cooper is the Raiders’ starting strong safety and special-teams leader. His onfield success surprises no one who has seen him play. It’s the way he conducts his personal life that turns the heads of those accustomed to seeing a man spiraling out of control.

The stories about Cooper are legendary; only a handful are printable. ‘‘It will all be in my book,’’ Cooper said with a grin.

The pertinent ones are about a young player who comes into a lot of money, experiences instant success in the NFL and then falls prey to the attendant trappings.

Cooper had it all. Money. Looks. Fame. Youth. Health. He parlayed those assets into fast cars, women, late-night parties and whatever else caught his fancy.

‘‘I was wild,’’ Cooper said. ‘‘A lot of young guys get money, they’re out on their own, it’s easy to lose. I didn’t have any sense of reality. It’s a great life but there’s rules. For a couple of years, I had no rules.’’

Predictably, that led to run-ins with the league and police.

Cooper was suspended for four games and lost six weeks’ pay for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy after his second driving- Sept. 16, 2003.

There were also citations for speeding, possession of a controlled substance, driving with a suspended license, having expired vehicle registration and providing false information to an officer.

‘‘I wish the best for him,’’ Fox said upon Cooper’s release. ‘‘He’s a good kid. He’s high energy. He was part of the reason we went to the Super Bowl (XXXVIII).’’

Fox’s decision angered many of Cooper’s teammates, but Carolina’s loss was Oakland’s gain.

‘‘Leaving Carolina was probably one of the best things that could ever happen in my career,’’ he said. ‘‘I just couldn’t get away from the hole I dug for myself. The only way I could get out of it was just to leave.’’

The Raiders arrest welcomed Cooper. ‘‘Man, that guy, he’s a monster,’’ linebacker Danny Clark said. ‘‘He motivates this team in so many different ways. He’s an enthusiastic guy. He’s happy to play his game, just on special teams. When he lines up on defense you know he’s there.’’

Coach Norv Turner said he is proud of Cooper’s ability to bounce back quickly from a knee injury, as well as how he has filled in for injured regular Derrick Gibson.

‘‘Without the injury, people would be saying this guy is a special-teams guy that can help you in the secondary,’’ Turner said. ‘‘Now, he’s shown everyone in this league that he can play in the secondary.’’