EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon has suspended running back LeGarrette Blount for the remainder of the season for punching Boise State linebacker Byron Hout after Thursday night's loss.
Blount's suspension includes any bowl games. Coach Chip Kelly said he will remain on scholarship.
Immediately following No. 16 Oregon's 19-8 loss to the No. 14 Broncos, ESPN showed Hout yelling in Blount's face and tapping him on the shoulder pad as the teams converged onto the field. As a Broncos assistant coach moved to separate Hout from Blount, the Oregon senior threw a right cross that connected with Hout's right jaw. Hout went down and popped right back up.
Blount also had to be restrained by police officers from fans heckling him on the way to the locker room afterward.
"Under no circumstance is fighting acceptable," the NCAA said in a statement Friday. "If it occurs before or during a game, the officials enforce the rules. If it occurs after a game, institutions and conferences decide how to address the situation. We trust our members to handle these situations appropriately."
Mike Bellotti, who stepped aside as head coach to become Oregon's athletic director this summer, said the Pac-10 was consulted about the punishment and supported Oregon's decision.
Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was at the game and saw the altercation firsthand.
University president Richard Lariviere, in a statement prior to Blount's suspension, called the player's behavior "reprehensible."
"We do not and will not tolerate the actions that were taken by our player. Oregon's loyal fans expect and deserve better," Lariviere said.
Hout will not be suspended for taunting Blount. Boise State spokesman Max Corbet told The Associated Press in an e-mail Friday that coach Chris Petersen will spend time with Hout this week to help him learn from what happened.
After the game, a contrite Blount came out of the locker room.
"I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did," he said. "I apologize. We will never have a game like this again. ... The game, as it went on, just got more frustrating and more frustrating for me in general. I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have done anything."
Blount, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound transfer from East Mississippi CC, rushed for 1,002 yards and a school-record 17 touchdowns last season. He carried the ball eight times for minus-5 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards against Boise State.
Blount's offseason also came with missteps when, according to The Oregonian, he was suspended by first-year Ducks coach Chip Kelly for poor attendance at team meetings and workouts.
Oregon and Boise State also met last year in Eugene, Ore., a 37-32 victory for Boise State. In that game, the Broncos committed two late hits that received much attention since, and last month Blount told Sports Illustrated that the Ducks owed the Broncos an "ass-whuppin'."
Players from both sides, Blount included, met at midfield for a pregame handshake, the result of a sportsmanship initiative developed for this weekend's games by the American Football Coaches Association and the NCAA. Grant Teaff, the AFCA's executive director, said Friday the incident would not dampen the weekend.
"This case points out that we still need to have a commitment to sportsmanship and respect," Teaff told ESPN's Joe Schad. "It was sad as I watched [the events in Boise], but the good news is nobody joined in. That would have been a brawl back in the day. This was one player who was frustrated and infuriated and lost control."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: Oregon Ducks suspend LeGarrette Blount for remainder of season - ESPN
Blount's suspension includes any bowl games. Coach Chip Kelly said he will remain on scholarship.
Immediately following No. 16 Oregon's 19-8 loss to the No. 14 Broncos, ESPN showed Hout yelling in Blount's face and tapping him on the shoulder pad as the teams converged onto the field. As a Broncos assistant coach moved to separate Hout from Blount, the Oregon senior threw a right cross that connected with Hout's right jaw. Hout went down and popped right back up.
Blount also had to be restrained by police officers from fans heckling him on the way to the locker room afterward.
"Under no circumstance is fighting acceptable," the NCAA said in a statement Friday. "If it occurs before or during a game, the officials enforce the rules. If it occurs after a game, institutions and conferences decide how to address the situation. We trust our members to handle these situations appropriately."
Mike Bellotti, who stepped aside as head coach to become Oregon's athletic director this summer, said the Pac-10 was consulted about the punishment and supported Oregon's decision.
Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was at the game and saw the altercation firsthand.
University president Richard Lariviere, in a statement prior to Blount's suspension, called the player's behavior "reprehensible."
"We do not and will not tolerate the actions that were taken by our player. Oregon's loyal fans expect and deserve better," Lariviere said.
Hout will not be suspended for taunting Blount. Boise State spokesman Max Corbet told The Associated Press in an e-mail Friday that coach Chris Petersen will spend time with Hout this week to help him learn from what happened.
After the game, a contrite Blount came out of the locker room.
"I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did," he said. "I apologize. We will never have a game like this again. ... The game, as it went on, just got more frustrating and more frustrating for me in general. I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have done anything."
Blount, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound transfer from East Mississippi CC, rushed for 1,002 yards and a school-record 17 touchdowns last season. He carried the ball eight times for minus-5 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards against Boise State.
Blount's offseason also came with missteps when, according to The Oregonian, he was suspended by first-year Ducks coach Chip Kelly for poor attendance at team meetings and workouts.
Oregon and Boise State also met last year in Eugene, Ore., a 37-32 victory for Boise State. In that game, the Broncos committed two late hits that received much attention since, and last month Blount told Sports Illustrated that the Ducks owed the Broncos an "ass-whuppin'."
Players from both sides, Blount included, met at midfield for a pregame handshake, the result of a sportsmanship initiative developed for this weekend's games by the American Football Coaches Association and the NCAA. Grant Teaff, the AFCA's executive director, said Friday the incident would not dampen the weekend.
"This case points out that we still need to have a commitment to sportsmanship and respect," Teaff told ESPN's Joe Schad. "It was sad as I watched [the events in Boise], but the good news is nobody joined in. That would have been a brawl back in the day. This was one player who was frustrated and infuriated and lost control."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: Oregon Ducks suspend LeGarrette Blount for remainder of season - ESPN