LeGarrette Blount's sucker punch
What's the proper punishment when a college player punches out an opponent after a game?
There won't be a lot of defenders out there for LeGarrette Blount, said Pete Fiutak in Fox Sports. Blount, a football player for the University of Oregon, sucker punched Boise State's Byron Hout after Oregon's embarrassing loss in the first game of the season. Emotions were high and Blount is only 22 years old, so the Blount punch shouldn't be allowed to "ruin his life"—but everyone will probably agree he should be kicked off the team (watch the LeGarrette Blount punch).
That would be a good start, said John Canzano in The Oregonian. Blount apologized, saying it will never happen again, but first-year Oregon head coach Chip Kelly needs to make an example of him to show that such "cheap" and "disgusting" behavior won't be tolerated. But the Ducks running back should also "be arrested and charged with assault."
Blount's apology is unlikely to save him from a suspension, said Pete Thamel in The New York Times, but whether to punish him more severely will be a topic of hot debate. Blount is arguably Oregon's best player, but the Blount punch was clearly not the kind of thing a university can tolerate. Coach Chip Kelly "is facing the first big test of his coaching career. And thanks to a video that promises to be played over and over, everyone is watching."
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