NFL's Riley Cooper -- Black History Month Selection was 'Honest Mistake' ... Eagles Say

The Philadelphia Eagles tell TMZ Sports the fact that Riley Cooper was selected as the photo for February in the official team calendar was an "honest mistake" ... and they're looking into it.

Of course, Cooper made national headlines at a Kenny Chesney concert back in 2013 when he was caught on camera saying, "I will jump that fence and fight every n***** here."

The Eagles fined Cooper for his actions at the time. He later apologized and then-QB Mike Vick vouched for him and said he wasn't a racist.

Which is why it was surprising that the wide receiver was picked to represent February -- Black History Month -- in the official team calendar.

"If anything, it was an honest mistake," Eagles PR rep Brett Strohsacker tells TMZ Sports.

Strohsacker says an independent company was used to put the calender together -- and says the Eagles are investigating to find out why Cooper was selected to be February.

He adds, "I will look into this issue and see what the thought process was."

3:50 PM PT -- The Eagles have issued a new statement saying, "We do not oversee the production of the annual team calendar. We do not provide any input about the players who are featured or where those pictures appear in the calendar. The NFL licenses the production of that calendar to a third party and we do not have an opportunity to review the material."