Friday, September 4, 2009

Oh WOW

I honestly don't know what was more painful, Oregon running back LeGarette Blount's punch of Boise State player Byron Hout or hearing that he was suspended the rest of the season.

I don't know all the details of what contributed to the decision to punish him for the entire rest of the season, but here's a few things I thought:

1. Hout gets no suspension? We're talking about sportsmanship being violated, and although Hout only verbally taunted Blount, it was a clear violation of sportsmanship nonetheless. Not suspending Hout sets an AWFUL precedent: Setting off an angry opponent is fine, but losing your temper is not. Hout is just as culpable as Blount and should be suspended a minimum of 3 games.

2. Whatever budding NFL career LeGarette Blount had, it's basically over. The only way LeGarette Blount plays in the NFL is if he loses some weight, plays in the UFL, signs a practice squad contract and works his way up. All while getting into less trouble than God's gift to the world Tim Tebow.

3. Chip Kelly and Mike Bellotti just saved LeGarette Blount's ass. Huh? Yeah. Do you think Idaho law enforcement can go after and convict a guy who has officially now lost everything he's worked for his entire life? LeGarette Blount may not play football ever again, but at least he won't be facing any criminal charges. At least now if he tries to make a career change, he won't have official criminal action hanging over his head. As it stands, five years from now less than 1% of the population will know who LeGarette Blount is.

4. I wonder if the Pac-10 would have suspended him further if Oregon only suspended him like 1 game. Can they do that? Has there ever been a situation where the school didn't sufficiently punish a player for bad behavior?

It's a sad situation all the way around, and it'll be interesting to see where the Ducks go from here. One thing I know is that if they ever play Boise St. ever again, it'll be too soon.

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