LeGarrette Blount and the Politics of the Punch
Beneath the veneer, college football is multi-billion dollar spectacle of unpaid labor and unhinged fandom. The 2009 season opened in Boise, Idaho and flashed it's underbelly to the world. The game started with a mandated sportsmanship initiative, as 14 players from the Boise St. Broncos and the Oregon Ducks shook hands at midfield. It ended with one of the 14 players, LeGarrette Blount of the Ducks punching Boise St's Byron Hout in the jaw.
Without question, what Blount did is entirely unacceptable. But without question, the punishment that's been levied against Blount outstrips the crime. First year Oregon coach Chip Kelly has announced that while Blount can keep his scholarship, he is banned from the team for the season. This is a devastating blow for the senior running back because it ends his collegiate playing career. After a stellar junior season where Blount set a school record for touchdowns and averaged seven yards a carry, he is done. One NFL scouting director told ESPN's Todd McShay, "In the matter of five minutes, Blount just went from second- or third-rounder to completely undraftable."
Now the perfectly predictable pile-on is playing out in the press. As John Canzano for the Oregonian wrote, "...what we have here is a low moment that can not be greeted with tolerance.....The Ducks running back should be arrested and charged with assault today."
Please spare us the sanctimony. If every player who ever threw a punch in the high-octane, adrenalized world of sports was banned like Blount, there wouldn't be a National Hockey League. Dozens of basketball players including Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and Shaquille O'Neal would have been booted from the NBA. Ron Artest would be in Gitmo. The difference between Blount and the rest is that players in the NHL, NBA and other sports have a degree of power. They have unions, collective bargaining and an appeals process. Blount has nothing. Despite all the stadiums he filled during his junior year, he, like all college players, is powerless.
If Blount could appeal, he'd have a decent case to get this suspension lightened.
It was not a "suckerpunch" as much of the media calls it but a direct response to provocation. Following Boise State's 19-8 victory over Oregon, which saw Blount rush for a humiliating -5 yards on 8 carries, Hout slapped Blount on the shoulder and talked smack. We still don't know what Hout said but it was bad enough that Broncos coach Chris Peterson can be seen grabbing Hout and pulling him away. Boise St. officials have already said that Hout would receive no punishment for the precipitating act. This is not to excuse Blount, but explain that many of the highlights are telling only half the story.
Also emerging unpunished is whatever fool runs the big screen at Boise St.'s stadium. In front of the partisan crowd, Blount's jab was shown repeatedly, working the crowd into a state of full froth. The running back says that he was punched and hit with a chair by Boise fans, which led him to become enraged and eventually removed from the field by assistant coach Scott Frost and two police officers. Creating a cauldron of violence amidst unpaid "student athletes" is apparently just fine but when the violence spills out of acceptable boundaries, people want Blount's head on a pike.
To call for Blount's arrest and celebrate his expulsion from the team is to be party to hypocrisy. Football is a profoundly violent sport. Player's bodies are destroyed, and their life expectancy is shortened with every down. In the United States, the average life span for NFL players is 55, more than two decades less than a typical male. Go to an NFL retirement dinner and it's literally like going to a Veterans of Foreign Wars banquet. Dave Meggyesy who played in the '60s once said to me, 'When you sign and NFL contract, you sign away your right to have a middle age.' We are fools if we express shock that this violence does not remain contained in the three hours on Saturday or Sunday.
And now, amidst the violence, powerlessness, and the fandom run amok, here is LeGarrette Blount, without a roadmap to redemption. If he expresses his regret openly and honestly and had the chance to play again this season, he could begin to undo the damage. In the twisted moral world of sports, as Michael Vick will discover, playing well is the only way to win back the love. Unfortunately, absent that option, LeGarrette Blount is stuck in YouTube purgatory: an endlessly looping clip of his worst moment defining him for the immediate future.
Dave Zirin is the author of "A People's History of Sports in the United States" (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.
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It was a sucker punch.......Still, I would have only suspended him 3 games (I agree with Brent Musburger on that).......Lets get one thing straight: Blount and mighty? Oregon got their rear-ends kicked by a non-BCS school and they reacted in a unsportsmanlike way. Blount had trash-talked all week and it came back to bite him.
That's a very strong article Dave. Thanks for writing it.
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Only a liberal could claim that wasn't a sucker punch. The guys head was turned looking at his coach. That kind of taunting goes on all the time and people aren't getting knocked out all over the field every Saturday. The punishment was too harsh, but come on man let's call a garden hose a garden hose.
Mr. Zirin completely ignores the fact that the other athletes mentioned in hockey, NFL, etc. are 'professional' athletes. That means that unlike Blount, they are paid to tolerate a certain level indiscretion on the field, court, etc. Blount however is a University student first. He violated the student code of conduct and is being punished justly for it. If this is really all about being drafted to the NFL, then I suggest that no such athlete truly has a place in the collegiate athletics system to begin with. STUDENT FIRST. Athlete second.
Oh shove off!
If some guy came up to you, no matter if you were student or not, and taunted and pushed you, you would look to tear his head off. Either that or, "here kitty kitty."
Live int he real world people!
Look, I don't like hooliganism in sports, either. But Blount got screwed while the instigator was allowed to walk away with no consequences for his actions at all.
it was a sucker punch, dave.
it's not a sucker punch when the boise st. player precipitated it by shoving him first.
the boise st. player got what he asked for, and boise st. has shown itself to be a punk program by it's lack of a reaction.
(and i don't care about either school in the least. just calling it like i see it.)
College football players are basically slaves and the good schools ALWAYS get the good players.
Oh, and it's just one big popularity contest anyway.
I hate college football.
Blount should go to Canada or Division 2. The NFL is all that matters...he can always buy a degree later.
"....the good schools ALWAYS get the good players."
malkin, not always the case
Dave, how many 4-star and 5-star rated recruits does Boise State have (if any)?.......Malkin, NOT always the case. Utah went undefeated last season and totally destroyed Alabama with all those blue-chip recruits in the Sugar Bowl. I believe Utah had ONE 4-star rated prospect coming out of high school.
Students make free choices as to the schools they will go to and what programs they will be part of. They are no more slaves than I am a martian.
I agree that FBS college football players often do not get a fair shake. I'm not sure I would count Blount in that group over the specifics of this particular incident.
The flip side to the union, fair pay argument is that if football (and men's basketball) players are indeed to get that fair shake, then everybody else is going to have to suffer. Blount and his teammates are along with the basketball team paying the bills for every Oregon athletic program. Take away that revenue and as we've seen with countless high school sports being cut during this recession, others don't get to play because they chose a non revenue sport. If you say "then have a minor league and college football" that's what baseball does, how many people do you know who watch college baseball?
Is that fair? Probably not. On the other hands there are a great many fringe benefits that come with being a football or basketball player at a high profile college that aren't fair either. It cuts both ways and for every football player who might be exploited there are dozens of college athletes who are perhaps getting some make good.
Did you just say that it's wrong to exploit college football players but since it helps pay for the girls softball team then it's ok?
Players are not being exploited. They know what they are getting into when they go into a college sports program. If they don't like that, then they can do other things.
Besides, there is too much of the sports tail wagging the college dog anyway. All major college sports should be done away with. If the NFL and NBA, etc want minor leagues then they can set up their own rather than making taxpayers foot the bill (especially since most college sports programs lose money).
Good for Oregon. They set a high standard and did not throw the young man out. He can continue to go to school and get his education. If he had not gone after fans in the stands then maybe the cheap shot, and it was a cheap shot wouldn't have resulted in his not being aloud to play.
I agree. Blount should have been allowed to come back halfway through the season if he had successfully done anger management classes, etc. Give him an avenue for redemption. Hout should have gotten a one game suspension.
College football players are exploited, though I do love the game. Without getting into what would be involved in a bigger fix, fair play called for a more constructive approach with Blount. But in this case unfortunately, the beast of ill-considered mass public opinion was enraged, and our unravelling culture must feed the beast.
I was astounded to read that the average life expectancy of an NFL player is 55. I was a High School running back and now at the age of 37 I have shoulder, neck, and back pain I can't escape, either through traditional or alternative means. It was a blast at the time, but is it worth it in the long run? As for Blount, that was the most expensive punch ever thrown - it may cost him millions of dollars.
Blount's actions got him a lot of attention. What nobody has commented upon is that he won't be injured this year since he won't be playing. With his abilities on display last year, I think a lot of teams will be interested to see if he still has the fire.
Second round pick to the Raiders???
gro, don't be cruel. Blount to the Raiders in 2010? Hasn't he suffered enough?
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Thanks to everyone for the comments thus far. I would just point out that this is not about adopted LeGarrette Blount as a "cause." And it's not about excusing fighting, It's about understanding that in a violent sport, this won't be a deterrent and it could destroy this young man's life. If people want a cause, pressure the NFL to stop using college sports as a free minor league with an underground, gutter economy. Pony up for a real minor league where players get a fair wage and the stakes aren't so insanely high.
You can't excuse Blount's actions, but I'm really annoyed at the lack of suspension for Hout. He definitely instigated the whole incident. I'm not saying a whole year, but I think one or two games would be fair. Boise State is scr#wing the pooch on this, I believe.
If LaGarrette Blount, who was suspended from the team on the first day of practice, can not keep control of himself over collegiate "Smack-Talk", there is no way he would make it through his first week of training camp, let alone a close/pivotal game, on a professional team.
He should man up, keep up his studies, get his degree, and stay in shape. If he does these things, without getting in any more trouble, when he goes to the combines he'll be in great shape and the questions about his temper/attitude/maturity level will have been blunted for the most part. And if he doesn't, well... there's always The Raiders & The Cowboys.
um, Hout pushed him first. you know, physical contact. look it up. there was nothing 'talky' about a push.
Will he still have a scholarship? Will he still have access to tutoring and other perks of being on the team that help players get the their degree? Or will he just be thrown under the bus?
Dave,
I always enjoy your straight talk. Obviously Blount's actions deserved punishment but I am sure in a court of law he would have been allowed to argue that provocation as a mitigating factor to reduce his punishment. Like you, I think LeGarrete received punishment that went far beyond his crime because it is quite evident that he was being taunted. Besides, these games are always billed as wars between rivals and then we get all worked up when the emotions get the best of these young people. Although Oregon is my alma meter I have not really followed Oregon football all that much to know about the character of Mr Blount. If this is a rare incident in his football career, I really think he deserves a second chance. I've seen worse punches in the so called professional sports and people did not loose their careers. Any way thanks for you books and articles which I always find to be quite illuminating.
Hout has been punished internally. To say he is not being punished is not correct. Coach Peterson has a very good track record when it comes to disciplining players. As for the screen operator they have also been disciplined by the department.
Mr. Zirin fails to mention that Blount initiated the smack during the week leading up to the game. Blount was still fuming over the Ducks loss to the Broncos last year in Eugene. Even so, Blount's smack didn't warrant Hout's behavior. Hout should not have laid a hand on Blount and returned the smack. He basically goaded Blount. By the way, the author was incorrect in writing that Hout wasn't punished. Boise State stated that Hout wouldn't be suspended from any games, but he would receive punishment. However, they didn't state what that punishment would be. The bottom line is that there's way to much testosterone on the gridiron and something needs to be done. Being suspended for the entire season is pretty severe, but it was Oregon's decision. It would be better if punishment at the college level was more consistent among the different schools.
As a University of Oregon Alum and huge Duck Football fan I was devastated to lose LeGarrette
Blount for the year. Unfortuneately the punishement fits the crime. He is not getting suspended for the year for the punch that was provoked by taunting and smack on the shoulder from a BSU player he is getting kicked off the team for losing control after the incident. He tried to attack BSU fans and fought off police officers and teamates who were trying to restrain him. Chip Kelley is a new coach who had to make a statement to show that LaGarettes behavior was unacepptable. He should be commended for having the guts to sit his best player for the year when most coaches and Universitys would have given him a slap on the wrist. The coach is going to allow him to be the scout running back for the year and practice with the team to prepare himself for the NFL.
Punch an opposing player
Punch a member of your own team
Have to be dragged out of the stadium by cops and coaches
Suspended from the team earlier for unspecified rules violations
Guess he just needs a good talking to.
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