The tissues were spread across the table where Hunkie Cooper was supposed to dry the eyes of a saddened group of Arizona Rattlers personnel, including general manager Gene Nudo and first-year coach Todd Shell.
They went unused.
Just five days before the start of the Arena Football League season, rumors began circulating that Cooper would announce his retirement from the Rattlers.
Cooper, who is 38 yards shy of becoming the AFL's all-purpose yardage leader, contemplated retirement the last few days with his family at his Las Vegas home.
However, something happened Monday afternoon on Cooper's ride up an escalator to a news conference at America West Arena. He saw all the people who have supported him through the years. Even the AWA security guards were there.
"That walk up the escalators, to see all the familiar faces, I said 'I can't retire,' " Cooper said.
Cooper grabbed his veteran teammates, including Rattlers quarterback Sherdrick Bonner, and took them into a room for what they thought was a final farewell.
The 15-minute conversation proved to be the final push Cooper needed to remain with the Rattlers for the upcoming season.
"It was a situation where we talked to him about retiring, and he had made that decision," Shell said. "We had this conference that he was going to retire, and him changing his mind was totally up to him, and now we're going to move forward."
Cooper will enter the season as a player. But he said if he does not meet performance expectations, he would step down and possibly become an assistant coach.
"If I can't go out and play the game the way I play the game, then I need to change my mind again," Cooper said. "If I'm flying around making people have headaches, then I'll continue to play. And if not, then we won't need to have a press conference next time. I'll just tell them to give me a hat and a whistle."
The final motivating factor in Cooper's decision was his desire to win, despite frustration that mounted after three consecutive ArenaBowl losses.
"I play a little better when I'm pissed off," Cooper said. "And I'm pissed off. I can't retire."
Reach the reporter at brian.knapp@asu.edu.
