Good lord.
When I used to teach at an alternative high school down in Miami, one of the most often used terms my students would say is “duck.” And being called a “duck” was not a good thing. It meant something along the lines of being cowardly and acting like a wuss. (And I know this because they gave me a vocab test one day in return for all the vocab tests I gave them.)
Well, the definition of “duck” is now crystal clear: Oregon Duck running back LeGarrette Blount.
I woke up this morning excited to hear how the college football games went last night that I didn’t get a chance to see, and all they are talking about on ESPN is the sucker punch that Oregon RB LeGarette Blount landed on Boise State’s Byron Hout.
As you’ll see in the video below, Hout appears to be talking trash and makes contact with Blount (and should be reprimanded by his coaches for it), but it certainly does not excuse what happened next.
If you haven’t seen the punch yet, and then Blount having to be restrained from going into the stands to presumably give the same treatment to fans, here is the unfortunate video:
Video: Oregon State RB LeGarette Blount Punches Boise State’s Byron Hout
And now what happened after the punch:
Video: LeGarrette Blount restrained from attacking fans
And then after the game, Blount offered one of the least sincere apologies I have ever seen. Forgive me for being judgmental — and I realize he’s just a young kid who has some very obvious emotional problems whose head was probably spinning while giving the apology — but hopefully no one at Oregon is fooled by this canned, forced apology like they were fooled earlier this year.
According to the announcers, Mark Jones and Bob Davie, Blount had been suspended earlier this year. He had purportedly learned to control his emotions and was allowed back on the team, at least according to what they were saying while watching everything unfold. Clearly, however, he had learned nothing.
LaGarrette Blount needs help and shouldn’t be allowed back on a football field until he gets it. The Oregon Ducks need to do what is right for him, so he can help turn his life and attitude around, and forget about getting him back on the football field until that is accomplished.
Video: LeGarrette Blount apology after hitting Boise State player
What a terrible way for the college football season to begin.
According to the AP report of the game and Blount’s sucker punch, Blount will most likely not be arrested despite immediate post-game rumors suggesting that he might be. Here is what the two coaches had to say about the incident immediately after the game:
Oregon coach Chip Kelly said he would review the game film before making a decision on Blount’s future.
“I did not see anything. I will see it on tape and make a decision on what we need to do with him,” Kelly said. “There is no place for that. I do not condone that. I will make that decision if that is the case.”
Petersen didn’t want to comment on what happened.
“It’s just unfortunate,” he said.
For the record, Boise State won the game 19-8, their first step towards trying to crash the BCS come January.  Time will tell what the loss and Blount’s eruption will mean for Oregon.
About Jerod Morris
Pingback: Zoner Sports » Bloggination Domination