Last year, former Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount rocked the college football world by throwing a sucker punch at a helmetless foe after a loss to Boise State.
In this image rendered from video and provided by ESPN.com, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, left, punches Boise State’s Byron Hout as coach Chris Peterson, foreground right, tries to pull Hout away at the end of an NCAA college football game on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2009, in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 19-8. (AP Photo/ESPN.com) NO SALES
AP
This year, Blount is at it again.
Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that Blount punched defensive end Eric Bakhtiari after the final play of practice. This time around, the guy on the receiving end was wearing a helmet; Blount’s punch connected with Bakhtiari’s facemask. That said, Wyatt reports that the punch was “eerily similar” to the right jab Blount threw last year.
“I promised to [coach Jeff Fisher] it was behind me and that was in my past and it just came up again,’' Blount said after practice. “I got into a situation where the defense pushed me too far.’'
But Fisher didn’t seem to be upset. “I am not disappointed whatsoever,’' Fisher said. “His past is his past. Is that the first punch you’ve seen at camp this year? No. OK. I am not disappointed whatsoever. I have great confidence in the young man that he has learned from his mistake and is very competitive.’'
The punch was part of an intense practice with, per Wyatt, “numerous” shoving matches.
UPDATE: Here’s the video of the latest incident.
