Blount deserves second chance

If you’ve been following college football betting, it’s been reported that Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who lost his mind temporarily after his Ducks lost to Boise State in the season opener, could be reinstated as early as November 7^th. We know it’s a good thing for Oregon’s betting chances, but is this a good thing for college football?

Now, unless you’ve been under a rock, this is the quick version of what happened: Oregon loses 19-8 at Boise State, and the Broncos’ Byron Hout said something to Blount, who was in the midst of the Boise State celebration. Blount snapped, dropped Hout with a punch, and had to be restrained from going after fans who were yelling at him.

NOW, Blount deserved to be suspended for a few games, but the initial suspension was far too harsh. Blount was wrong, he knows, his coach knows it, everyone knows it, and it seems like Blount is a good kid. Kids make mistakes, and they should be able to recover from those mistakes. Blount called Bout as soon as he cooled down to apologize, and he’s never done anything before to show that he’s insane. He lost his cool, and handled it wrong. Oregon will have a list of conditions that Blount has to meet before he can reinstated, and if he’s serious about it, he’ll do it. But some people are comparing what he did to the Ron Artest-in-Detroit situation, and that’s just outlandish.

What about Hout’s behavior that caused Blount to flip? What about the Boise State fans that were harassing Blount as he was being ushered back to the locker room?

Look, what Blount did isn’t excusable, and he deserves to be punished. But to take away his entire senior season is ridiculous, and he should have to redeem himself. Oregon's sportsbook odds will get a lift, but the lesson of forgiveness is the key here.