Punishment for Oregon punch was too harsh
I'm not here to defend Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount. Really, I'm not. He took a swing at Boise State's Byron Hout after the Ducks' 19-8 loss, then had to be restrained from charging into the stands.
The guy was a hot-head. His act was idiotic and it's gotten about 100,000 hits on YouTube, so there's no hiding. But he didn't technically hurt anybody, and he was being taunted by Hout. To be suspended for the rest of his senior season is sad and excessive.
One punch cost Blount his college career, and plenty in college football are applauding Oregon's stand for sportsmanship. Fine. I'm wondering about individual fairness, especially with this occurring in the immediate aftermath of a frustrating loss, and because many players guilty of off-field crimes are allowed to keep playing.
A five-game suspension would have been perfectly severe, and it would have sent the same strong message. Blount is being allowed to stay on scholarship and practice with the team, but this whole idealistic notion of turning college football players into no-nonsense robots is a bit much.
No excessive celebrations. Not much leaping around, please. And hey, don't forget to meet your opponent at midfield for the pre-game handshake, the NCAA's latest attempt to make the fellas play nice.
Rules are important. Rules should be followed. College kids are different than NFL players and they need more guidance and structure. And reportedly, Blount had missed team meetings, so he was hardly a model citizen.
Because it was a slow-news opening week for college football, Blount's case gained incredible attention, and Oregon probably felt it had no choice but to act harshly. Tough decision, sure. The tougher, fairer decision would have been to suspend him for half the season, not end his career.
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Blounts suspension
I agree with your take on this incident. I found it interesting that the taunter wasn't suspended at all even though his actions contributed to the altercation. A lot has been made of the fact that the University has a first year coach so I wonder if a more experienced coach would've been less harsh in his punishment.
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