The Lebanon Express Blog

Does it surprise me that Chip Kelly has outlined a plan for LeGarrette Blount to return to the field?

Not at all. In fact what did surprise this Oregon State fan (full disclosure here) was that Kelly doled out such a hard-line decision after Blount sucker punched Byron Hout after the Sept. 3 game in Idaho. I was surprised, but I was happy – happy that Oregon was dealing with their hot-headed player with more than a slap on the wrist as they have done in the past.

Despite being one of the best running backs in college football, the guy’s got issues. He has been suspended twice in the past by former head coach Mike Bellotti – once for part of a game in November 2008 for “not following team rules” and in February this year for flaking out on practices. And let’s not forget about the trash talking he did in Sports Illustrated before the season opener with Idaho, saying the team owes Idaho a spanking, to put it mildly.

Technically this is the star athlete’s third suspension, yet fans are decrying this “harsh” punishment and the hypothetical loss of Blount’s NFL career. But is this the kind of guy the NFL would want? Someone who can’t show up to practice, can’t follow team rules, and obviously, has a bad temper?

Blount’s Sept. 3 sucker punch reflected poorly on the Pac-10, U of O, and the state as a whole. In light of Blount’s past, for Kelly to give him a way back in and flip flop on the suspension is regrettable.

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