5:02 p.m. -- From Boise State coach Chris Petersen:
“The event that took place last night following our game between Byron and Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount was very unfortunate and we do not condone Byron’s action. There will be disciplinary consequences for Bryon as a result of the incident last night and they will be handled internally.”
Hout will not be suspended, Petersen said.
3:31 p.m. -- A little more clarification on Blount's status from an Oregon press release:
Blount will continue to have access to all of the university’s support services provided to all student-athletes, will be allowed to take part in all team activities, including practice with the team, and will be held accountable to all team rules and regulations. However he will not be allowed to participate in any games.
2:40 p.m. -- Oregon has suspended senior running back LeGarrette Blount for the rest of the season, including a potential bowl game, for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout on Thursday night, Chip Kelly announced Friday.
Kelly said Blount is allowed to remain with the program.
Blount punched Hout in the jaw with a right cross moments after the Broncos' 19-8 victory Thursday night. Hout said something to Blount and tapped him on the shoulder, prompting Blount to turn around and punch him.
"It's the incident. You can't hit somebody in society, whether they called you a name or not," Kelly said. "In society, no matter what happens you can't do that."
Kelly refused to say what Blount told him Hout said.
"I don't want to get into that," Kelly said.
Kelly said he cried when telling Blount of his punishment and that Blount cried as well.
Athletic director Mike Bellotti, who was the team's football coach until March, said he supported Kelly's decision.
"We don't believe he deserves to represent the university on the field anymore," Bellotti said.
12:42 p.m. -- Boise State had another huge victory overshadowed Thursday night, continuing a trend for the Broncos.
— The 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma was (somewhat) overshadowed by Ian Johnson’s postgame wedding proposal.
— The 2008 regular-season win at Oregon, Boise State’s first road win against a BCS-conference team, was overshadowed by two late hits.
— Thursday night’s dominant victory against Oregon has now been overshadowed by the actions of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount.
The new press box at Bronco Stadium was filled to capacity for the game and had Blount not gone postal — and you can certainly criticize Bronco defensive end Byron Hout for instigating things — then most of that media would have been writing about how Boise State cemented its status as a BCS contender.
Instead, most of the commentary is about Blount.
Kelly’s future
Also lost in the uproar over Blount’s actions was the actions of Oregon AD Mike Bellotti, the former football coach who resigned in March to take the AD job.
Bellotti went down to the field in the second quarter to talk to first-year coach Chip Kelly and then conducted an interview with ESPN in which he was second-guessing the playcalling.
Kelly’s team looked completely overwhelmed and there was dissention on the sideline as well. Bellotti’s actions certainly don’t help Kelly to establish any sort of authority over this squad.
Imagine having your boss come to your first big meeting with your employees and basically tell you that you're conducting the meeting all wrong.
Chris Petersen realizes how good he has it. You would never see Gene Bleymaier undermining Petersen like that on national television.
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