OT: Blount to possibly be reinstated by Oregon

Anyone who didn't see this coming, with Blount still allowed to practice with the team, is a moron.

Fine with me though, I thought that a 3-4 game suspension was adequate.

I think it is fine. A 3 game suspension would have been sufficient especially when the Boise player got nothing. I am not condoning what either did but you can't ruin a mans life for a punch. He is a senior and has already taken a hit on the draft boards for his action but to not allow him to prove that it was a one time incident by suspending him for the season is a bit much.

Yeah. I guess I don't like it when the coach backtracks on punishment. fwiw, i thought the initial season long suspension was excessive.

I think you suspend him for the season to shut people up. Then when everyone has calmed down you reinstate him. No one cares about this anymore, thats just the way media attention works. Remember practice gate? Exactly.

I only talk about guys who have been suspended by Michigan.

Give the kid a chance to play again...he made a horrible decision in the heat of the moment.

A horrible decision....but we've all made them, especially in the heat of the moment when emotions are involved.

Yes; the season long suspension is and/or was excessive but Chip Kelly's in his 1st year as being the head coach as is Mike Belotti as the AD, so I feel they were trying to send a message and set a precedent that this would not be tolerated throughout their athletic programs. If Belotti was still the head coach I believe Blount would have only gotten a 3-4 game suspension...not b/c Belotti is any less of a disciplinarian, but b/c he would have been a tenured head coach that already had respect and precedent established with his team. Granted the decision to reinstate Blount is easier as the Boise St player received no disciplinary action, but if I was Chip Kelly I'd stick to my guns based on the decision he made be it right, wrong, or indifferent, one can’t let the inmates run the asylum.

This isn't such a bad thing. I was thinking that a 3 or a 4 game suspension would have been OK. Maybe even 5 or 6.

I'd never paid attention to this kid until "punch gate." His reaction to the loss and taunting fans was highly inappropriate. He alienated fans, coaches and teamates after the Boise State game.

That said, this is a great life lesson learning opportunity. And there is no reason to ruin a kids opportunity and potentially his life.

I understand how an argument could be made for maintaining the suspension. But I ask this...If you’re going to make the argument that the indefinite suspension is the only choice for the situation, shouldn’t other players caught on camera throwing punches (like Mouton) be on that list? One can argue the circumstances of how, when, why the punch was thrown. Even though the circumstances may be a little are a little different, the intent was still there. Cut the kid a break and treat him like you would your own kid. Ground them for a month and give them time off for good behavior.

I'm gonna knock you out (HUUUH!!!)
Kelly said knock you out (HUUUH!!!)

Ahahaha!

This is exactly what I was afraid of with the "suspend him but keep him on the team" scheme. I wanted to believe Chip Kelly really wanted to help him get back on track, but the most likely reason for that arrangement was to be able to pull a reversal like this. The media firestorm has died down and the team has started winning so Kelly doesn't look like he is doing it out of desperation.

This is something Lou Holtz would have pulled. What a slickmeister.

He absolutely should be reinstated. The whole Miami team went bezerk on FIU, Clemson and S. Carolina had a huge brawl, and the players only were suspended for a game. Blount, however, gets a whole season for suckerpunching a player who trash-talked him AFTER the game (you just don't do that). (Okay fine, so he also almost went Artest.) It's overkill, especially in his senior year. Victors2000 is right: Blount knows what he did wrong, he learned his lesson. He seemed genuinely sorry for what he did. I like that he'll have another shot at the NFL.

One thing that bugged me about a Forde Yard Dash was that Forde mentioned Miss. St's DE recruit who heroically saved a busload of kids, but then used it to show what Blount was not. What Blount did was wrong, but that was just kicking a kid when he was down.

"a player who trash-talked him AFTER the game (you just don't do that)."

...a player who trash-talked a player who trashed-talked the entire team before the game.

"It's overkill, especially in his senior year. "

These kinds of sentimental arguments don't make any sense to me. His status as a senior give him LESS leeway in my mind, because he is old enough to know better.

His playing skill is the most cynical appeal. If he was a third-string walk-on without an NFL future, we never would have heard of him again. He'd be off the team so fast he'd be able to play tennis with himself. But because Blount is a good player and an NFL prospect, we're supposed to forget it and "feel for his future."

EDIT: Here's my question for all the Blount advocates: if punching an opponent after the game and trying to go into the stands isn't a kick-off-the-team offense in your mind, _what is_? Does the guy have to carve up a player's face with his cleats? Moon the crowd?

here. The suspension should remain, imo. If people were so inclined, he could have faced serious jail time and a couple civil suits.

- several counts of assault (the verbal kind)
- criminal assault (felony, I believe, for the punch)
- battery (civil liability for the punch)
- resisting arrest (again, jail time)
- not sure if he pushed any cops but assaulting an officer is a pretty serious felony if he did
- likely a host of other civil claims, including IIED

The emotional arguments don't do much for me. If one of our players produced a rap sheet like this I'd want him gone for the season, even if it was Tate, Minor, or BG.

We are witnessing the public relations machine of Nike in full force. They make headlines with their stern discipline of suspending him from the team. The public can say wow, Oregon is a stand-up school.

Then, the story dies down. The team is now ranked again and sees a real opportunity to beat their local bully, USC in a few weeks. This decision has nothing to do with what's best for Blount. That's laughable. It about what's best for the football program, and by extension, Nike. It's very duplicitous and just plain weak. Regardless of how you feel about the initial suspension, taking it back is ridiculous. I can't stand Oregon and Nike. I'm glad we're with Adidas.

Next thing you know, Nike will have Vick back in the fold. Oh wait . . .

I agree with most of the levelheaded commentary here. Blount made personal calls to both the opposing coach and the player he punched to offer an apology. In addition to this, he decided to remain with the team knowing that he was in the doghouse of his coach and school administration while assuming that he wouldn't be allowed to play another down for the team. He definitely made a stupid, stupid mistake in the heat of the moment, but his actions afterward showed me that he has character that goes beyond that one boneheaded moment on the field. He's going to pay for this additionally with a drop in the draft next year (if he's drafted at all), and to me, he's paid enough for the crime. Let the kid show that he can redeem himself.

...unless he gets caught smoking a "Blount."

I say reinstate him. I have no problem with it (unless it was at OSU). I do agree w/ the comment that they should have suspended him indefinately at first, but still, I don't see what the real damage is to give him (yet) another chance.