LeGarrette Blount's Blunder (merged)

[budMovin]

I suppose trying to charge the stands and then fighting with the cops for 20 min was part of his good guy act too?

[Rondo_is_better]

He's obviously a good guy

That's absurd. He's not "obviously a good guy." What in god's name would make you think that sucker punching a player on the opposing team, taunting or not (and Blount did PLENTY of taunting--publicly, I might add--prior to the game) makes it obvious that someone is a "good guy?"

That's right, good. Flip out on the internet. Let the scorn course through you.

He started crying--he was repentant. People have different backgrounds and have learned to respond to adversity in different ways. Just because he did something that average, every-day"white bread" suburban people would never do, he becomes an object of scorn and derision. We all make mistakes. It just so happens that the guys who follow football and run football are especially intolerant about this sort of thing.


Tony Skinn from GMU punched a guy in the balls. He was a senior, too. He got suspended one game. Practically everything about they're situations are comprable--the only signifiant difference between the two is the sports themselves, and what kind of people follow them and run them.

[Aeacus]

Somebody will take him. Just in a later round--not because they're scared off, but because they know he will drop lower than he would've because of publicity reasons. You can't take a guy early in the draft when he's committed a "social/PR" faux paus.

And I completely disagree with all of you. No one should ever have their life shaken to the core for a single mistake, especially when they were bated into it. He's obviously a good guy who took the loss and his poor performance hard. Then some (expletive) on the other team get's all arrogant and in his face, generally just being a ****, and it pushes him over the edge.

It sickens me that that tard from Boise isn't even being punished at all. Totally unfair.

I'd question the "obviously a good guy" part of your statement.  I've heard that this isn't Blounts first run in with trouble.  He was a juco player who barely qualified to get into Oregon and there are plenty of rumors of academic and behavior issues while at Oregon.  He may well have been down to his last chance even before last night.  Also keep in mind the punch can be dismissed as a heat of the moment thing, but going after fans a minute later and making an assistant coach (with police assistance) wrestle you to the ground is the bigger problem.  The fans were in a fan area, not on the field and he tried to go after them.  After the Artest insanity at the Palace, no ones going to let that go lightly. In my mind the punch was worth 4-6 games, going after the fans nearly immediately afterward required a stiffer punishment. 

He can still get drafted but he was already a character concern, now he is a last round of the draft rated guy.  He'll still have his pro day and the combine to work out for the scouts if they want him.   

I kind of agree that the Boise player should miss a game but I can see where the coach might say this is a good kid who has never been in trouble and I'm going to handle it internally.  Maybe he'll miss a quarter or maybe he'll run stairs until he pukes 3 times this week. The coach has a right to discipline his players as he sees fit.  But remember the ultimate leason is if your going to talk trash, keep your helmet on! BTW that was a pretty quick taunt, he wasn't there for more than 2 seconds. 

And I'd like to give a shout out to Scott Frost, former husker QB, who took Blount down in time to keep him from punching anyone else.      

[Aeacus]

Tony Skinn from GMU punched a guy in the balls. He was a senior, too. He got suspended one game. Practically everything about they're situations are comprable--the only signifiant difference between the two is the sports themselves, and what kind of people follow them and run them.

I'd say football is usually more tolerant player vs player skirmishes given the nature of the game.  Some schools are becoming less tolerant because these embarising things keep happening (Miami, cough, cough). But in general football lets them slide as much as anyone, heck you can even get away with flattening the fans if they are running on to the field. 

I think you like Blount and feel he should have gotten off with a small suspension.  According to the sports radio people here and the Oregon beat reporters, this isn't his first run in with trouble.  In fact it might not be his second, third or fourth, we don't know.  Lots of things go one in programs that are handled internally (recreational drug tests for one).  So in this case I think I've got to trust that the coach knew best in determining the punishment. 

[star18]

What Hout did was wrong.  You don't go up to a player on a losing team after winning a game and make a comment and make contact with them like that.  You can say all the bad things in the world about Blount but he should not have been treated that way.   What Hout did was disgusting, because he puts Blount in a situation where he can walk away and take the embarassment of the tap and the comment, or he can turn street on Hout and punch him in the face.   

No player deserves to be in a situation like that.   Should Blount have been suspended for a year, yes I think he should be.   Did Blount do the right thing.  Yes I believe he did.    Because by him reacting that way it puts an end to a situation like that.   Now in the future, players will be alot more hesitant to run up to an opposing player on a losing team and talk smack like that.    If Blount walks away like a man, I guarantee you that what Hout did would have been repeated again by another college football player.  Now, because of how Blount reacted I bet it doesn't happen again for a long time.   When you get disrespcted like that, sometimes you have to do something to prevent things like that from happening again in the future, and Blount did just that.

It is similair to the Artest situation at the Palace.   Should Artest have been suspended for the year? Yes. Did Artest do the right thing? Yes I think he did.  Are fans alot more hesitant to throw things at players after watching how Artest reacted? I believe so.

[jackson_34]

Both players were in the wrong and deserve to be suspended, but to suspend a player for the rest of his final season is probably not the right thing to do.

Just for the record, that Hout player deserved what was given to him.

[Aeacus]

Both players were in the wrong and deserve to be suspended, but to suspend a player for the rest of his final season is probably not the right thing to do.

Just for the record, that Hout player deserved what was given to him.

Honestly I don't have that much problem with the punch, I think thats a one or two game suspension most of the time. It might be more depending on the coach and if the player is already in the doghouse.  I think it was the going after the fans that moved him into the big time suspension realm.  Check out the updated espn story below, it details almost all the things I heard on the radio and saw from other sources.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4445041&name=nfl_draft&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d4445041%26name%3dnfl_draft

Blount was already on a short leash because he skipped off season meetings/workouts.  He showed up to school out of shape.  He missed some classes and had run ins with coaches. Plus when he screwed up he did it on national television on opening day. Thats why he got suspended the whole year.

I would be more upset for him if Oregon had kicked him off the team.  This way he can get into shape and practice with the team and still have a shot at the NFL (or a college diploma  ). 

[Fafnir]

Remember it was just a punch. He threw Scott Frost to the ground, one of his coaches, and tried to throw a cop out of his way all in an attempt to go into the stands and attack some hecklers.

I have to admit though when he almost got free the look on the hecklers face is priceless.

[EJPLAYA]

He's obviously a good guy

That's absurd. He's not "obviously a good guy." What in god's name would make you think that sucker punching a player on the opposing team, taunting or not (and Blount did PLENTY of taunting--publicly, I might add--prior to the game) makes it obvious that someone is a "good guy?"

That's right, good. Flip out on the internet. Let the scorn course through you.

He started crying--he was repentant. People have different backgrounds and have learned to respond to adversity in different ways. Just because he did something that average, every-day"white bread" suburban people would never do, he becomes an object of scorn and derision. We all make mistakes. It just so happens that the guys who follow football and run football are especially intolerant about this sort of thing.


Tony Skinn from GMU punched a guy in the balls. He was a senior, too. He got suspended one game. Practically everything about they're situations are comprable--the only signifiant difference between the two is the sports themselves, and what kind of people follow them and run them.

There is a big difference in being sorry for your actions and sorry you are being punished. Considering his immediate actions afterward, dancing back with his hands up like a prize fighter and having to be pulled away from repeating his behavior with the fans,  it's pretty clear he is only sorry he was suspended and the affect it will have on his potential career in the nfl. He's crying because he got "spanked" not because of what he did.

Hout on the other hand should be disciplined as well. There is no reason after a game to go up and taunt a guy no matter how much trash the guy was talking in the media beforehand. He should have had more class as well. It doesn't rise to the level of what Blount did though. If I were his coach he'd sit a game. 

[Jeff]

am I the only one that thought this was going to be about Mark Blount?

[Fafnir]

am I the only one that thought this was going to be about Mark Blount?

Nope I first clicked the latest topics figuring he'd gotten arrested for something.

[Finkelskyhook]

am I the only one that thought this was going to be about Mark Blount?

Nope I first clicked the latest topics figuring he'd gotten arrested for something.

You'd have to assume with Skippy that if he got arrested for something it'd be impersonating a basketball player.

[BrickJames]

Label me impressed with Oregon's swift exercise of justice.

Thoughtless move carries a major consequence with it.  Good.

-sw

So Vick can kill dogs, what's his face can run someone over driving drunk, PacMan and Ray Lewis can kill people, and this guy gets screwed for throwing a sucker punch in a scuffle?

Gotta love American justice.

[CoachCowens]

Label me impressed with Oregon's swift exercise of justice.

Thoughtless move carries a major consequence with it.  Good.

-sw

So Vick can kill dogs, what's his face can run someone over driving drunk, PacMan and Ray Lewis can kill people, and this guy gets screwed for throwing a sucker punch in a scuffle?

Gotta love American justice.

Vick was punished. 

[RAcker]

also, not condoning what blount did at all, that was a punk move, but i found this deadspin article on it hilarious

http://deadspin.com/5352594/byron-hout-got-what-he-deserved.

Blount (ironic name for us here) totally deserves the harsh suspension for his harsh actions.  However, this article sums up my feelings about Hout's actions well.  He should have been classier and kept his fat trap shut.  Why rub it in after the game is over?  You deserve to have your clock cleaned for that.

However, let's not forget that Blount ran his mouth all week about how they were going to dominate Boise St. and how he was going to run all over them. He had like -4 yds rushing and got embarrassed.  He talked smack and went crazy when someone reminded him what a dink he was after the game.

Was Hout wrong for the taunting? Yes.  Is Blount crazy?  Yes.  Is Hout a Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.?  Yes.  Did Hout deserve to be punched? Yes.  Should Blount have punched him? No.  Should Blount have left the field immediately after the incident?  Yes.  Should it have taken cops to get him out of there?  No.  Was Blount's suspension deserved? Yes.  Should Hout get at least a a game or two for his part in it? Yes.

End.