Career
He was drafted by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State. Cooper played football and ran track and field for Pearland High School in Texas.
He was an All-state selection in football as a senior and was a four-year letterman in track and field, excelling in the long jump, triple jump, and the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
Cooper played college football at Kansas State where he was an All-Big 12 selection all four years. He was elected team captain as a junior and senior.
After leaving Kansas State, he ranked 11th in school history in tackles. Carolina Panthers
Cooper was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft and played in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Oakland Raiders
Cooper joined the Oakland Raiders on October 29, 2004 after being claimed off waivers.
He was also a team captain for the 2006 season.
Cooper was released by the Raiders prior to the 2007 season after failing a league mandated drug test. He was re-signed not long after he served his suspension, but was placed on season-ending injured reserve on December 17 with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament. He was later released on August 25, 2008 and did not play during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Cooper has since revealed that head injuries (causing recurrent, debilitating migraines) and an uncertain medical prognosis were reasons for his "abrupt" retirement from the Oakland Raiders.
NFL stats
Key
General Practice: games played
COMB: combined tackles
TOTAL: total tackles
Air Service Training: assisted tackles
SACK: sacks
FF: forced fumbles
First Revision: fumble recoveries
First Revision YDS: fumble return yards
INT: interceptions
International Rectifier YDS: interception return yards
AVG International Rectifier : average interception return
Liquefied Natural Gas: longest interception return
Territorial Decoration: interceptions returned for touchdown
Privatdozent : passes defensed
In 2007 Cooper began volunteering at the Oakland Animal Shelter in Oakland California.
He quickly became an integral part of the shelter"s team of staff and volunteers, often spending hours walking the dogs, cleaning kennels, and performing various improvement tasks around the shelter. Eventually he donated funds for the construction of outdoor exercise runs for the dogs named "the Cooperative(s)" He subsequently cofounded Help Code 597, a non-profit dedicated to helping the animals of Oakland.
As of 2011, Cooper continued as a regular volunteer at the shelter.