Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended for the season after punching a Boise State player in the wake of the season opener, has been allowed to rejoin the Ducks.
The university requested Blount’s reinstatement, which was approved by Pacific-10 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott on Monday.
Blount will be able to play for the Ducks (No. 13 BCS, No. 14 AP) on Saturday night when they host Arizona State. He missed eight games.
Blount issued a statement saying he was grateful to Oregon coach Chip Kelly for giving him a second chance.
“Now it is up to me to prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise,” he said.
Blount punched Byron Hout following the nationally televised opener, bringing the Broncos’ defensive end to his knees. The next day he was suspended for the season by Kelly, but he was allowed to keep his scholarship and practice with the team.
Oregon made the right decision. Give Blount another chance for he did apologize, but warn him that any similar incidents will lead to his being kicked off the football squad.
The game was decided 19-8 on the field in favor of the Broncos. What happened after the game is gaining the most attention
The Pac-10 later Friday will review tape of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount’s dropping Boise State linebacker Byron Hout with a postgame punch to the jaw to determine whether Blount will be disciplined, spokesman Jim Muldoon said.
Immediately following Oregon’s 19-8 loss at Boise State on Thursday night, an ESPN replay of the incident showed Hout taunting Blount 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.
First-year Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott is flying in from Boise, where he witnessed the incident first-hand. While Muldoon said Oregon could take action, he believes the ultimate punishment to be a conference matter.
Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti said after the game he would consult with the Pac-10 office before taking any disciplinary action.
Here’s the video of the incident and an interview of Blount.
Blount was provoked, so his behavior is somewhat understandable. What could cause his biggest problem is what happened as Blount was escorted from the field.
Boise State replayed Blount slugging Hout several times on the giant screen in the north end zone of Bronco Stadium. Amid jeers from the crowd, Blount, who was being escorted from the field by Oregon assistant coach Scott Frost, got into another confrontation with fans.
His sucker-punch at the end of Thursday’s loss at Boise State will sink out-of-shape Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount’s chances of an NFL career, Todd McShay writes. Blog Insider
According to Blount, one fan brandished a chair at him and another punched him. Two police officers and Frost nearly carried Blount to the Boise State athletic building, where the visiting team dresses.
Getting into fisticuffs with fans might be the real reason Blount gets punished in the Pac-10 takes any action at all and I’m betting they do. One pro scout thinks this will doom any chance of Blount being selected in the NFL draft. If the guy has legitimate 2nd or 3rd round talent, that seems to be an overreaction. Feel free to share your own opinions.
Update- Oregon has suspended Blount for the rest of the season.
College football season is under way. There was however one blogger who failed to get the memo.
But they’re wasting no time: They took RB Jonathan Stewart of Oregon.
(5′10″, 235, 4.48) | OREGON
Strengths: Is a compactly built back with excellent body control. Shifty and quick; he runs low to the ground and has good change-of-direction skills. Shows very good initial quickness and also displays a second-gear when he gets through the line of scrimmage. Has made significant strides in terms of vision and patience as a runner throughout his career. Displays reliable hands as a receiver. Gets up the field quickly after the catch and can be a huge weapon when he catches the ball on the run in space. Has size and strength to anchor (when in position) versus blitzing linebacker in pass pro. Displays excellent potential as a kick return specialist and was one of the nation’s best when allowed to spend time in that facet of the game.
Weaknesses: Durability is a big concern. Has battled injuries throughout his career. Always seems to be nicked. Has limited experience carrying the full load. He’s compactly built and strong, but he’s not a power back. He doesn’t look to initiate contact much and he will run out of bounds instead of lowering his shoulder for extra yards on occasion. He goes down a bit too easily at times, as well. Not overly physical as a blocker. Still has room to improve in terms of awareness as a pass blocker. Will take some poor angles and doesn’t always appear to be confident in his assignment.
Overall: Even as a freshman reserve in 2005, Stewart was able to make his mark, scoring nine touchdowns on just 72 touches as a runner, receiver and kickoff returner. Despite injuries, he played 13 games in 2006 and ran for 981 yards and 10 TDs. He also had 20 receptions for 144 yards and another score. In 2007, his first season as Oregon’s feature back, Stewart established new school single-season marks in rushing yards (1,722) and all-purpose yards (2,481), leading the Pac-10 in both categories. He finished his junior season with 13 total touchdowns, adding 145 receiving yards on 22 catches. In three seasons, he averaged 28.7 yards and scored two TDs on kickoff returns. Stewart has battled durability issues throughout his career, but he also has shown toughness playing through several injuries. If he can avoid the injury bug at the next level, Stewart has a chance to emerge as one of the premier playmakers at the running back position. He is a compact runner with an outstanding combination of quickness, vision, body control and open-field burst. He also brings versatility to the table with soft hands as a receiver and an outstanding collegiate resume returning kicks. Stewart should be one of the top-three running backs selected in the 2008 NFL draft likely in the mid-to-late portion of the first round.
The numbers are all over the place because Stewart had an injury and is recovering. Presuming he’s healthy, though, this is a solid pick. He’s projected to be an awesome NFL running back.
Knowing how much Cal and Stanford like each other, this news can only be seen as a sign of the apocalypse.
BERKELEY, Calif. – California has turned to its biggest rival to find its new basketball coach, hiring former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery on Friday to replace the fired Ben Braun. Montgomery was to be officially introduced at a news conference on campus Saturday, the school said.
Montgomery, who spent 18 years with the Cardinal, has been out of coaching since August 2006 when he was let go after two seasons in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors. He has announced college games and been an assistant athletic director at Stanford while still collecting money from the final two years of his contract with Golden State.
Braun was fired last week after 12 seasons as coach when the Bears missed the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years. Montgomery made the tournament his final 10 years at Stanford, winning at least one game each time.
Whether Montgomery could continue that streak at Cal would depend heavily on the decision leading scorer and rebounder Ryan Anderson makes about the NBA draft. Anderson said Thursday he would test the waters by declaring, but would not sign with an agent to leave the option open of returning to school for his junior year.
I never thought it was fair to judge a college coach till he is able to bring in his own recruits.
Montgomery was successful at Stanford, including a final four appearance 10 years ago. Because of that and his over 500 career lifetime wins, I see Montgomery having a reasonable chance at doing well at Cal. I just wonder what diehard Bear fans think about having a former Stanford Cardinal in their midst. Guess it won’t matter if Cal basketball gets invited to the NCAA tournament consistently under Montgomery.
This news comes days after Stanford was eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
The Lopez twins are going pro together. Stanford sophomore Robin Lopez is joining his 7-foot brother Brook in entering the NBA draft. The brothers made their announcement to The Associated Press on Monday through their mother, Deborah Ledford.
It was expected that Brook would declare himself eligible for the NBA, but Robin was not so certain. They were prep stars in Fresno, Calif., and came to Stanford together. Now they will depart as a tandem, too.
“This has been a very difficult decision for me because I really enjoyed my two years at Stanford,” Robin Lopez said in a statement released to the AP. “I have always hoped I would have an opportunity to play in the NBA and I feel now is the right time to make that dream a reality.”
Brook Lopez, a third-team All-American and a first-team Pac-10 selection, averaged 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds to go with 56 blocks this season. He scored the game-winning basket with 1.3 seconds left in an 82-81 victory over Marquette in the second round of the NCAA tournament to put Stanford in the regional semifinals for the first time since 2001.
Both Brook and Robin will hire agents and thus forgo their remaining two years of college eligibility, their mom said.
Since I rarely follow basketball(Pro or college) I am clueless as to the chances the Lopez brothers have of sticking in the NBA. To be honest, I would stay in college. Especially since its Stanford.
There has been a history of twins, identical and non-identical in professional sports. Hardcore golf fans will know golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange has an identical twin brother Allen. In the NHL right now there are the identical Sedin brothers, Daniel and Henrik who play for the Vancouver Canucks. In baseball there were the Canseco brothers and the O’brien brothers.
If Robin Lopez can’t make it in the NBA, he can always caddy for Michelle Wie. SI reported recently that the two of them are dating.(Hat tip- ROK Drop)
We learn the true story about HS football player Kevin Hart.
RENO, Nev. (Feb 6) – A northern Nevada prep football player who had claimed he was duped into believing he was recruited to play at a Pac-10 school admitted Wednesday he made up the story.
Kevin Hart, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman for Fernley High School, offered a broad apology in a statement he issued through the Lyon County School District. Hart said he had wanted to play football at a Division I school “more than anything.”
“When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality. I am sorry for disappointing and embarrassing my family, coaches, Fernley High School, the involved universities and reporters covering the story,” Hart said.
Lyon County sheriff’s detectives had been unable to corroborate Hart’s claims that he had been duped by a man he paid to help promote him to college football programs.
As soon as I heard not just Cal and Oregon denied recruiting Hart but other schools that had been mentioned, I had the feeling the whole thing was made up. Hart is young, but at 18 he should have known his web of lies would soon unravel.
The school gave him a contract extension three years ago. From AP-
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State fired basketball coach Jay John, whose team is 6-12 this season and winless in the Pac-10. Attendance is reaching record lows at Gill Coliseum and the school has had only one winning season since 1989-90.
Assistant Kevin Mouton will temporarily run the team after the rare midseason coaching change, which was announced Sunday night by athletic director Bob De Carolis. De Carolis did not rule out Mouton as a permanent replacement.
John, in his sixth season, received a five-year contract extension in 2005. Oregon State owes him about $1.1 million.
*****
John did not have a chance to meet with the team Sunday night. He had a record of 72-97 and a conference mark of 26-68, including 0-6 this season. The Beavers, however, showed some grit in nearly upsetting Washington on Saturday.
You have to wonder about the people in charge of OSU’s sports programs. They give a coach with limited results a contract extension, then fire him in mid-season for not turning around a perennial loser. Paying someone not to coach your team seems like a waste of money to me.
Rick Neuheisel is coming back to UCLA — this time as head coach. Neuheisel, who quarterbacked the Bruins to victory in the 1984 Rose Bowl and later served as an assistant under Terry Donahue, was hired Saturday as his alma mater’s 16th coach.
The 46-year-old Neuheisel succeeds Karl Dorrell, who was fired Dec. 3 after five seasons on the job.
“Rick has enjoyed great success throughout his career and we believe he is the coach who can take our program to the next level,” athletic director Dan Guerrero said. “His teams at Colorado and Washington continually challenged for conference championships and national rankings, and that is what we are looking to do at UCLA.”
Neuheisel spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, who finish the season Sunday against Pittsburgh. He served as quarterbacks coach in 2005-06, and was promoted to offensive coordinator last January.
He had a 66-30 record as a head coach at Colorado from 1995-98 and Washington from 1999-2002. He hasn’t been in the college game since Washington fired him in 2003 for participating in a betting pool on the NCAA basketball tournament. He sued for wrongful termination from Washington and settled in March 2005 with UW and the NCAA for $4.5 million.
A great hire. He’s had some problems, to be sure, but he’s a superb college coach. And I suspect he’ll be less anxious to leave UCLA, not only his alma mater but a storied program in a great city, than his previous stops.
TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson said Thursday night he would extend his leave of absence through the end of this season, citing undisclosed family matters that require his attention.
In a statement released by the university, the 73-year-old Hall of Famer said he plans to return to coach the Wildcats for the 2008-09 season.
“There are personal issues within my family that need to be addressed and I must devote my full energy to that,” Olson said in the statement.
Athletic director Jim Livengood said assistant coach Kevin O’Neill will continue to serve as interim coach for the rest of this season. The 22nd-ranked Wildcats (5-2) are at Illinois on Sunday.
I hope whatever the cause of Olson’s leave isn’t too serious. God bless.
Dennis Dixon will have surgery on the left knee that buckled early in second-ranked Oregon’s upset loss to Arizona, spoiling his chance to win the Heisman Trophy. The quarterback tore his anterior cruciate ligament during Oregon’s Nov. 3 victory over Arizona State, according to coach Mike Bellotti, but he had rested it and felt as if he was ready to play Thursday night against the Wildcats.
Now Dixon will miss the rest of this season.
*****
The versatile Dixon was one of the front-runners for the Heisman after he put the Ducks in line for the national title. Oregon had started the season unranked, and was picked to finish sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Drawing comparisons to Vince Young, Dixon completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,136 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. The senior from San Leandro, Calif., also ran for 583 yards and nine scores.
Thursday night’s 34-24 loss to the unranked Wildcats knocked the Ducks (8-2, 5-2) out of the national title picture. Oregon was ranked behind LSU and ahead of Oklahoma and undefeated Kansas.
Dixon’s left knee crumbled as he tried to plant on an option carry with about 5 minutes to go in the first quarter against Arizona (5-6, 4-4).
Why should Dixon’s knee injury take him out of contention for the Heisman? It would seem rather silly if it did, for I’d be judging his credentials for the Heisman based on his play for the year, before he got hurt. That’s the way it should be.
