As if talking smack about Boise State a year ago – and then getting totally manhandled during the game, broadcast
Keep your f#$king emotions in check men!!
nationwide from Boise as part of ESPN’s kickoff weekend spectacular (with even a new and improved, albeit more plasticine Lou Holtz) – wasn’t enough, LeGarrette Blount had to throw a sucker punch following the game that completely negated anything positive that could have come out of one of the most exciting sports weekends of the year. Byron Hout popped back up – I give him some credit since Blount threw a pretty good jab – but the damage was irreversible by the time Blount had completely melted down, needing to be restrained by both his own teammates and the cops. Now that we’ve had a few days for the dust to settle, and for his season suspension and effective detonation of an NFL career having sunk in somewhat, the question has to be asked – is it ok to make an example of LeGarrete Blount’s high profile meltdown?
Yes, Blount has proven himself to be a goon – no question about that. Yes, he’s consistently caused turmoil within the teams he’s played on even despite his skillset and presence on the field. Yes, he was escorted screaming like a possessed freak off the field by taser-wielding cops. And yes, Blount is absolutely emblematic of the larger thugification of college football in recent years. Many college football players are getting their examples from the NFL, where players always seem to straddle a running back to add a few words after a tackle, or grabbing an extra limb on the way up off the ground. On a weekend where college football was hellbent on manufacturing sportsmanship with a handshake at midfield – an idea that you KNEW was going to come crashing down and go FUBAR at some point – it’s not altogether unsurprising that Blount was suspended for the season.
But that being said Kevin Youkilis form-tackled Rick Porcello and was suspended for a handful of games. Chad Johnson is in the middle of “planning” for opening weekend, to pull off some ridiculous touchdown celebration – probably the high point of the Bengals’ season. NHL fights happen on a nightly occurence, and let us not forget a man named Ron who jumped into the stands during an NBA game and beat the crap out of an unsuspecting fan. All of these incidents have warranted multiple game suspensions…sometimes. Ultimately, unless you’re Michael Vick or Plaxico Burress, you’re not going to be indefinitely suspended for a major transgression – in fact some, like Shawne Merriman, can even still win awards when clearly in defiance of NFL substance abuse policies.
Stupid is as stupid does. And stupid has a good right cross.
Back to college football. It seems to me they pulled a Burress or a Vick-style suspension here with Blount. Yes, it was the Oregon coaching staff who reached the conclusion independently of the NCAA, but the NCAA had stated that it was ready to advocate and ensure that Blount wouldn’t see the field. Blount should be suspended – I absolutely agree that some form of punishment is in order for his reprehensible actions. But that said, in a time where college football is played on national holidays, on primetime TV, and in 100,000 person coliseums – college football is getting awfully big for its britches. The athletes – young men who may or may not have ever had to pay for utilities in their lives – may not necessarily be outfitted to handle the pressure of a bigger, more commercial DI football. Yes they need to suck it up and mature, but making an example of LeGarrette Blount will not help that cause. College football is now reaping what it has sowed.
