An Oregon Fan's Take On LeGarrette Blount

Not only did Oregon lose the game to Boise State last night, they also lost one of their top players for the rest of the season.  Blount took the team and the university's reputation into his fist and started a downward spiral that new head coach Chip Kelly must stop before it gets worse.

He has taken the first step by suspending Blount, but let's look at how the events occurred. A few weeks before the game with Boise, Blount gave a quote to Sports Illustrated expressing that the Ducks “owed the Broncos an a**whoopin’.” Little did we know this would basically end Blount’s season. It is clear on the video that Boise State defensive end Byron Hout taunted Blount and said something to the extent of, “How about that a**whoopin’?!” 

Knowing the nature of the sport and how competitive and relatively immature these athletes are, a reaction is expected. Punching clearly steps over the line and would have garnered a suspension of at least a couple games. Hout should be disciplined, probably not suspended, but winning with class is a part of becoming a major program, something a team like Boise—who is relatively new to the scene—has to learn.  

Players getting in each other's face is expected, as is maybe doing some pushing and shoving, but that is not what happened last night.

Immediately after the punch occurred, the Boise State stadium videoboard operators threw gasoline on the fire. I did not count how many times it was played, but I know that they played the punch at least 10 times on the videoboard. This is a poor decision from a university clearly unaware of how to handle a situation like this. 

The fans and players already have a ton of dislike for each other, so further inciting them was the worst decision that could have been made. You can see in some of the video that Blount is walking off the field with his head down after the incident in a calm manner, when Boise State fans further press the issue—one even making contact with Blount and another, from what I was told from a credible source, had a chair over his head, possibly to hit Blount with. This behavior is unnecessary and could have easily been avoided if the stadium videoboard operators could have used better judgment.

We can expect some of this behavior from inebriated, overzealous fans, but this borders on insanity.

These are fans of all ages, and while the camera will remain focused on the athlete to catch all his poor actions, the fans also need to show restraint and how to win in a classy manner. Unfortunately, Boise fans stepped over their line as well, but Blount paid the price. 

Finally, Blount swung and partially connected with the helmet of a teammate (Garrett Embry) trying to restrain him immediately after the punch. This loses his teammates' trust and confidence and, if the players were asked their opinion of what they thought his punishment should be, could have drastically affected their response.

Blount was not suspended for the year because of the punch, but because of the manner in which he had to be removed from the field.  Blount will keep his scholarship, which I think is a smart decision. For more on that, check back later on.