Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount could be reinstated sometime this year
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Oregon Coach Chip Kelly today said there’s a chance that suspended tailback LeGarrette Blount, if he met certain conditions, could rejoin the Ducks at some point this year.
Kelly said Blount would not return before Nov. 7 and may not return at all.
‘There’s a distinct possibility he’ll never play football here again,’ Kelly said in an Associated Press story. ‘But the ball is in LeGarrette’s court.’
Blount was suspended for the season after he punched Boise State player Byron Hout after Oregon’s season opening loss in Idaho.
‘It’s not a football decision; it’s a human being decision. It’s about that individual,’ Kelly said today. ‘And he’s got a lot of things he’s got to do.’
Kelly set down condition ‘ladders’ that the senior Blount had to achieve before being considered for reinstatement. Since his suspension, he has retained his scholarship and practiced with the team.
Kelly said he consulted sociologist Harry Edwards and former NFL Coach Tony Dungy before revising the conditions of Blount’s suspension.
Blount apologized again for his actions in a letter published Thursday by the school’s newspaper.
-- Chris Dufresne
