Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that LeGarrette Blount should not be reinstated as an active player for the Oregon Ducks.
“It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes… we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions – especially selfish ones.” – Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
While that quote may be true for Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, it is ALSO true for his head football coach, Chip Kelly.
Yes, Blount’s actions were completely unacceptable. It does not matter that Boise State defensive end Byron Hout was taunting him after the game – the fact that Blount punched him is inexcusable. Kelly was right in addressing the incident quickly, and Blount deserved to be punished for his actions.
The extent of that punishment, though, is debatable. Whether people like to admit it or not, punching happens in football all the time. Sometimes, as was the case during the Notre Dame-Michigan matchup on September 12th of this season, the punch may take place during the course of play. In this incident, Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton punched Notre Dame center Eric Olsen after a play concluded. Other times the punch takes place after the game ends, which is when Blount decided to haul off and deck Hout.
In instances like these the offending player’s school and/or conference have the authority to determine how best to address the situation. In Mouton’s case, the Big Ten felt it was appropriate to suspend him for one game. For the Blount incident, the punishment was a bit more extreme.
Chip Kelly, who was coming off of the field from his first time game as a head coach, adamantly stated that behavior such as Blount’s was unacceptable, and that he would not permit it within his organization. He then stated that Blount would be suspended from playing in a game for the remainder of the season. He was still kept on as a member of the team, and was permitted to participate in practices, but would not be permitted to participate on Saturdays.
That punishment is rather harsh, considering the fact that Blount did nothing more than sucker-punch a player (who was instigating) and then yell at fans. I will say again – I am not condoning his actions, I am just trying to put them into perspective.
Think about the Kelly’s situation when he was forced to address this issue. He had just assumed the reigns of a major football program in the PAC-10 Conference, a program that earned a preseason ranking as the 16th best team in the nation. Many analysts around the country pegged Oregon as the number one contender that could FINALLY knock Southern Cal off the top of the mountain. Then the team’s first game of the season was on the road against the 14th ranked Boise State Broncos. The matchup was highly anticipated by many around the country, and the players’ emotions were no less charged.
Just one season earlier, unranked Boise State went into Eugene and defeated the then 17th ranked Ducks by a score of 37-32. During the first quarter of that game, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was forced to leave due to a concussion that many felt was the result of a late hit. With all of those factors as a backdrop, it is safe to assume that emotions were running high as Oregon and Boise State both approached their 2009 rematch.
With all the pressure, emotion, and eventual frustration from the game (Oregon was never able to get their offense moving, eventually losing the game by a score of 19-8), fuses were a little short and tension was running high. Obviously, these feelings affected LeGarrette Blount. But for everyone else on the field, including Chip Kelly, the effect was no less significant. For Kelly, the frustration, anger, and emotion of the situation got the best of him, just as it had gotten the best of LeGarrette Blount, and he reacted to that emotion when deciding Blount’s punishment. After losing such a frustrating match, his star player STUPIDLY punched another player creating a scandal that further marred Kelly’s debut as a head coach. In an attempt to get in front of the situation before it could further define his first season at the helm, Kelly laid down an extremely severe punishment.
In hindsight, once the emotions of the situation cooled down and people were able to rationally look back and evaluate it, many agreed that the punishment was extreme. For Blount, the 2009 season would be his final at the collegiate level, and he had been hoping to use this season as a platform into the NFL. By losing the ability to play his final season, Blount realistically lost millions of dollars in potential earnings. Missing an entire season of football would most certainly impact his appeal in the upcoming draft, all because he punched a guy who was mouthing off to him.
Enough is enough! Blount has already missed FIVE games as a result of this one punch, which is four more games than Michigan’s Jonas Mouton missed for the exact same offense. The punishment, in this case, far exceeds the crime committed. There is nothing at all wrong with Kelly’s acknowledgement of that fact and the subsequent reinstatement of Blount. I would rather see Kelly “honor” the need to do the right thing, which is to amend his initial punishment (that was rendered out of the same emotionally-driven state as Blount’s punch) than to “honor” his word by unfairly continuing to punish Blount in such an excessive manner. In doing so, he would be sending a very positive message to his team by demonstrating fairness, compassion, and understanding, all of which are far more honorable virtues than the principle of foolishly (and incorrectly) standing behind a statement made in haste.
Coach Kelly felt that after announcing Blount’s punishment to the world, he had to “honor” the need to do the right thing. Funny how “the need to do the right thing” coincides with Oregon beginning to struggle in the last part of the season. Something they seem to do regularly. I was proud of Oregon and Coach Chip Kelly. Blount was like a crazed rabid dog. Now the world knows what is really important to first year coach Kelly. It is all about winning and nothing more. Stop blowing smoke.
I have to disagree with your statement. If Coach Kelly was so concerned with winning games only, don’t you think he would have reinstated Blount BEFORE the USC game?
I disagree with YOUR statement, Bleacher Fan. Oregon loses a big game, and the next DAY the star running back is reinstated. Coincidence?