By now everyone has probably seen the sucker punch Oregon's Blount laid on Boise State's Byron Hout. Oregon laid the hammer down on this NFL prospect. He is suspended for the rest of the year (this is his senior season by the way) including any postseason games. Meanwhile, Hout, who actually was the instigator of the incident itself, was not disciplined at all. Now, the University says that he is being disciplined internally. However, he's not missing any games and the only thing I've heard is that they plan to talk to him to make sure he understands the ramifications of this event. In layman's terms that pretty much means there is no discipline.
My take on the discipline to Blount is that it is definitely foul...although I do think that it is good for him as a person to experience this. Let me explain. Blount was not out to cause trouble that night. He was on his way to the locker room when Hout came across the field, seeking him out so that he could yell in his face. Which he did. He also made contact with Blount, tapping him on his shoulder pad. Blount then responded poorly, he went after him and as Hout's coach was trying address him, Blount cocked him in the jaw sending the big man to his knees. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Some of Boise's fans began heckling Blount and he had to be restrained to prevent a possible melee in the stands.
The NCAA itself cannot really enforce any rules on this kind of matter so it is up to each University to determine appropriate punishments. In my mind, 3 or 4 games would've been fair. Maybe even 6 games. But the whole season including bowl games? This is a young man with legitimate NFL aspirations. I don't think that many other Universities would've responded so harshly. We know that Boise wouldn't have. After all, their guy instigated this fight and there are no repercussions to discuss in his case.
But I will say this. As a person, this might end up being one of the best things to happen to him. Unfortunately, elite athletes today are given the silver spoon treatment from the moment their pop warner coach figures out how much the kid's talent will advance their own careers. These athletes naturally begin to feel invincible and untouchable which only promotes undesirable behavior. Even before this incident there have been situations that called his character into question. More and more the NFL, under the direction of Roger Goodell, is concerned about character as well as talent. This suspension will cost him draft position and therefore money, but it may help him build character as a person which is priceless.
To Oregon's credit, they are not kicking him off the team. He is still invited to practice with the team and participate in other team activities. If he's smart he'll take the high road here and continue to be a part of this team. He'll go to anger management counseling and other things that will help allay any fears that potential NFL suitors may have. He'll go into the combine next year and when interviewed by teams he'll say how much this experience humbled him and made him a better person and maybe even a better football player. He'll convince them that nothing like this would ever happen again with him. If he does that, he doesn't have to worry about being a victim of circumstance. The ball has been served...its in his court now.
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