FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
University of Oregon Sports Information Department
Nov. 9, 2009
OREGON’S BLOUNT REINSTATED TO FOOTBALL PROGRAM
The running back continues to be held accountable for conditions that prompted reinstatement.
EUGENE – University of Oregon senior running back LeGarrette Blount has been reinstated to the Ducks’ football program and will be available to play Saturday when they host Arizona State in a game scheduled to kickoff at 7:20 p.m. (PST), according to an announcement from the school’s head coach Chip Kelly Monday.
Blount, who has missed Oregon’s last eight games after being suspended by Kelly following the season-opening loss at Boise State, has remained a member of the team and has participated in practice since the post-game incident which led to his suspension.
Kelly said he forwarded his recommendation for Blount’s reinstatement to Oregon Athletics Director Mike Bellotti Sunday night, who in turn passed it along to University President Richard Lariviere and Pacific-10 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott.
Blount’s suspension was originally announced to encompass the entire 2009 season, but Kelly announced on Oct. 2 the potential for reinstatement contingent upon the running back completing a series of conditions to the satisfaction of athletics department, University and Pac-10 officials. Kelly emphasized that Blount would continually be held accountable to those conditions for the remainder of the year.
“I’m grateful to Coach Kelly that he cares enough to offer me this second chance,” Blount said. “Now it is up to me to prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise.
“When I am ready to address this further with the public and the media, I will do so,” Blount added. “Until that time, I feel my actions can speak louder than anything I could say. I just want to help my teammates who have been supportive of me.”
The Ducks’ 1,000-yard rusher from a year ago was held to minus 5 yards in his only appearance this year in a 19-8 loss at Boise State.
Tags: boise state, Byron Hout, ducks football, LeGarrette Blount, oregon, Oregon Football, Suspension, University of Oregon
Chip Kelly Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 11:18 am
We got our ass handed to ourselves at Stanford. So, first thing Monday morning we reinstated LeGarrette Blount. This is not about giving a kid a second chance. This is about reinforcing our chances at a the Rose Bowl.
Quite frankly Duck fans, we need this kid. We have not been to the Rose Bowl since 1995 and have not won since 1914. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is what it is.
Mickey Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
In response, the Rose Bowl plans for heightened security in case Oregon wins Pac-10–
http://kidsdontgetit.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/rioting-polish-polices-mickey-mouse-uniform-picture4.jpg
Roger Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Way to go Ducks, you already were a classless program this just adds to it!
dan odiorne Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
The Stanford game had nothing to do with offense. LGB doesn’t play defense- they steam rolled us.
BullGator Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Its about time. The sports nation COMPLETELY overreacted to this incident. If this were a baseball game, and he had charged the mound, it wouldn’t have even made it on YouTube or the local paper.
Urban Oscar Meyer Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
“I sure wish that we would have handled the situation down here in Florida the same way as Chip Kelly has handled the Lagarrette Blount situation up in Oregon.
Our decision was entirely based on football while Kelly’s was not about football at all. If it was, Kelly would have reinstated Blount for the USC game. To prove it even more so the case, why didn’t kelly send the request last week for the Stanford game as he had made it clear that the Stanford game was the soonest that Blount could return; but he did not send the request.
Chip Kelly handled this situation very well; more coaches should look at him as a role model. He genuinely cares about his players and wants them to succeed in life and not only in football.”
Howard Cosell Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Oregon 1st tried to get Elizabeth Lambert but she was too busy so was Mike Tyson.
DR Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
What he did was NOT akin to charging the mound. It would be like charging the mound, knocking the pitcher down, then punching your teammate that comes to calm you down, then shoving the security gaurd that is also trying to calm you down so that you can charge into the stands and go after opposing fans who are laughing at how ridiculously you are acting.
I applaud Kelly for suspending him, but also keeping him in the program so that he can finish school. It would have been really easy for him to just get him expelled and not have to worry about it anymore, but it seems that Kelly might actually give a damn about academics.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that the reinstatement is Kelly’s or the AD’s decision. Nothing was said about any of this until Blount and his family got some scuzzbag attourney to threaten the school.
Takimto Says:
November 9th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
DR:
I don’t think the athletic department would be worried about the school being threatened. What grounds would they have for action? CK is essentially giving Blount an opportunity to practice football in exchange for a college degree. And if you want to play in the NFL, maybe don’t punch a guy. CK has said that he made the suspension season-long because he wanted to see how LGB would handle it, with the only goal being becoming a better person as opposed to acting good only to play again.
And in response to the charging the mound analogy, I’ll point you to Frank Francisco, who threw a chair into the crowd at an A’s game, breaking a woman’s nose. He was suspended 17 games, equivalent to a 2 game suspension in college football, as far as percentage of season goes. He still pitches for the Rangers 5 years later, and was even their closer this past season.