Blount Force

In a sport known for its immature players, emotional exchanges, and physical action, college football saw one of its most ugly moments last night that, sadly, included all three of those combustible elements. Oregon was soundly beaten by a superior opponent in Boise State. Playing on their signature blue field, the Broncos took down the Ducks 19-8 and, truth be told, it should have been much worse. Normally, such a result would have been the biggest story of the evening. However, when craziness ensues after the game, that takes precedence.

Oregon's starting running back, LeGarrette Blount, punched Byron Hout, a Boise State defensive end, after Hout taunted him following Thursday night's matchup. Blount stated before the season that Oregon "owed (Boise State) an ass-whuppin'." Chances are, Hout reminded him of this and added some of his own commentary. Fresh off an embarrassing loss, Blount obviously was in no mood for this and coldcocked Hout. Ironically, Hout's coach, Broncos head man Chris Petersen, was at the scene of the incident because he was dragging Hout away from Blount, and yelling at him for taunting the Oregon player.

Upon seeing this transpire, I sat there for a minute to make sure I saw what I saw. The announcers didn't really jump on it live; they waited until a replay clearly showed what happened, so I figured I may have caught it at a bad angle. Once it was confirmed, though, I texted Big Brother and said, "if I'm the coach, that guy never plays for me again." It was an act that has no place on the football field. Yes, things get violent during games and there are flare-ups from time to time, but nobody just jaws an opponent after the game is over. It just shouldn't happen. Ever.

This isn't the NFL; professionals are treated differently. Steve Smith, the Carolina receiver, not the New York Giant, has punched in a teammate's face twice in his career and every single Panthers fan still loves him. Leonard Little, a Rams defender, literally killed a woman while driving drunk. Michael Vick killed a few dogs. Pro teams are businesses that adhere to one rule -- win. That's it. Winning cures all. College teams, for better or worse, are the biggest PR firms for their institutions. For universities, which are supposed to be educating and enlightening our children, they can have no such behavior associated with them. Especially since there are no contractual obligations to keep a poor citizen around. I know there's a double standard, and I'm not saying that pros should get off the hook every time, but let's not be naive and act like we don't know why it doesn't happen. I'm a realist.

I must admit, a small part of me thought it was funny. Hout reminded me of that guy at the bar/party/club/outing that runs his mouth all the time and doesn't think anybody is "real" enough to shut him up. So when Blount rocked him and sent him sprawling to the ground, there was a second there when I thought he just got what was coming to him. We've all hoped that the loudmouth gets a few teeth punched out to teach him a lesson, but we can't be the ones to do it because there is too much at stake in our lives for us to possibly go to jail (side note: I would never press charges against someone who beats my butt in a fight. I figure nobody will beat me down for fun, so I must have had it coming. It frustrates me when a person will hassle someone, telling him that he's not "man enough" to do anything about it, and then when said guy turns around and beats some humility in him, the instigator presses charges. What a punk move. Take your beating like a man or shut up. I doubt you'd press charges if you won the fight, so why press them just because you got rocked in the face a couple times? Ok, I feel better now. Moving on...). That's not to excuse Blount's inexcusable behavior; but I can't deny the entertainment value in the episode. That's all I'm saying.

In the end, Blount ruined his career with a single punch, Woody Hayes style. He has been suspended for the rest of the season, and his chances of getting drafted, which were very good before the incident, have gone up in smoke. This was a kid with problems before, so hopefully it will take this bottoming-out for him to realize what he needs to do to mature and act like a grown man. His football dreams may be slipping away, but that doesn't mean he can't live the rest of his life in a productive manner after learning a lesson in the hardest of ways. In many ways, his career is now like that of a guy whose injuries force him to give up the sport he loves.

One hit, and it's gone in a flash.

~~ Lank