LeGarrette Blount

LeGarrette Montez Blount (born December 5, 1986) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

Blount rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons in junior college. He then committed to the Oregon Ducks football program as a junior, for the 2008 season. That year he ran for over 1,000 yards and scored a school record 17 touchdowns.

After the opening game of the 2009 season, Blount was suspended for punching an opponent and angrily confronting fans immediately after the nationally televised season-opening loss. Though the suspension was announced to be for the remainder of the season, due to his meeting of specific criteria set by the football staff, he was eventually reinstated after missing ten games.

Early life and high school career
Blount was born December 5, 1986 in Madison, Florida, to Gary and Barbara Blount. Blount is the great-nephew of Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount). He has one brother and one sister. He attended Taylor County High School in Perry, Florida, where he was a four-year starter and three-time 1,000-yard rusher. He accorded second-team all-state player honors as a prep senior.

Considered only a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Blount was not ranked among the best running back prospects in the nation in 2005. Barely recruited out of high school, he attended camp at Auburn University but was not offered an athletic scholarship. He nonetheless intended to go to Auburn but did not qualify academically, so he headed for junior college.

East Mississippi Community College
While at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi, Blount rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons, accumulating 367 carries for 2,292 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Among his career highlights was a 273-yard performance with three scores in a win over Northeast Mississippi Community College during his freshman year; he led the state of Mississippi in rushing yards with 1,106 as early as October 2006. Blount was rated as the No. 1 junior college prospect by The Clarion-Ledger and received Junior College All-American honors.

By the end of his sophomore year, Blount had become one of the highest ranked junior college prospects. He was named the nation’s top junior college running back and the No. 12 overall prospect in the Rivals.com Junior College Top 100. Blount was heavily recruited by several high-major schools, including Florida State, Ole Miss, and West Virginia. He committed to Oregon in December 2007. Oregon coaches said Blount reminded them of Reuben Droughns.

Oregon Ducks
Blount entered his junior year at Oregon sharing the running back role with senior Jeremiah Johnson. The two backs lived together, and the talkative Johnson advised Blount in his first Pac-10 season. For Blount, it was the first season in which he split time with another running back, and his reaction was mixed. The two backs each contributed nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns in an early 63–14 win over the Washington State Cougars, and both again performed well in a late season victory over the Oregon State Beavers. But Blount brought lackluster performances to games against USC and Cal. Overall, Blount rushed for 17 touchdowns, setting a single-season school record, and 1,002 yards. Blount and Johnson became only the second duo in team history to both clear 1,000 rushing yards in the same season; Johnson led the team with 1,201 yards.

He clashed several times during the season with veteran head coach Mike Bellotti, earning a suspension for the first quarter of a November loss to the Cal Golden Bears for "not following team rules."

After the end of the season, he missed a number of workouts. Bellotti suspended him indefinitely on February 10 for "failure to fulfill team obligations."

Blount responded fairly well to the suspension, improving his attendance in both academic and athletic pursuits. He was reinstated by newly-appointed head coach Chip Kelly in March. He attended some, but not all, voluntary workouts during the off-season, but was praised for an improved attitude by fellow members of the football program. He arrived at training camp in better physical shape than in 2008. At 243 lb, he was somewhat above his optimal weight, but was slimming down, and aiming for a 2,000 yard season. Blount was named to the watch lists for the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award for the 2009 season.

Boise State incident
The Ducks opened their 2009 season with a 19–8 loss to the Boise State Broncos. Blount ended the game with negative yardage (-8) and points (-2 from a safety). Shortly after the end of the game, Blount punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout, knocking him to the ground. Blount then hit teammate Garrett Embry, who was attempting to restrain him, in the helmet.

As he was escorted to the locker room, Blount confronted Boise State fans who were jeering at him after seeing the video replay. Blount says that one Boise State fan brandished a chair at him and another punched him. Two police officers and Oregon assistant coach Scott Frost restrained Blount and escorted him into the locker room. Video of the incident spread rapidly on the Internet.

Blount apologized after the incident saying, "I just apologize to everybody that was watching this — ESPN, national TV — I just apologize to all of our fans, all the Boise fans. It was just something that I shouldn't have done. I lost my head, and I shouldn't have taken it that far."

Oregon coach Kelly suspended Blount for the rest of the 2009 season. According to the Associated Press, "On Friday [Kelly] told a sobbing Blount of his decision: That punch would cost Blount the season, and ultimately his career with the Ducks. 'He understands that his actions are unacceptable. We will not put up with that.' Kelly said." Blount was not dismissed from the team, however, and will be permitted to attend practice and retain his scholarship.
 * Suspension

Chip Kelly consulted with Oregon officials in advance of Blount's suspension. Afterward, the Pac-10 expressed support for the suspension. Kelly stated that he made his judgment based on the entire event and had not theorized how it would have changed had only certain parts of the incident occurred.

Following the announcement of Blount's punishment, a number of sports writers and analysts questioned whether or not suspension for the entire season was excessive. Wrote analyst Tom Dienhart: "But did Blount's punishment (banned from games the rest of the season) fit the crime? Blount should have been benched for three to five games, giving him a break for being in an emotional spot after being provoked by Hout."

Blount called Hout and Petersen to apologize on September 5. Kelly participated in the calls. Hout was not suspended for his taunting, though Petersen stated that he did receive disciplinary action. Petersen accepted the apology as sincere, and expressed the wish that Blount would be able to go on playing football, and that many parties would learn from the experience.

Blount was given the opportunity to continue practicing with the team but was not at the first practice due to unspecified obligations. However, Blount was on the sidelines at practice the following day and began practice with the scout team a week later.

On October 1, an apology letter from Blount was published in the Oregon school newspaper the Oregon Daily Emerald. Later that day, the Oregon Athletic Department released a statement indicating that a plan that could reinstate Blount to the team was under consideration. The next day, head coach Chip Kelly announced that if Blount meets certain guidelines, he could return for the November 7 game against the Stanford Cardinal. Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott responded that the conference alone had the power to reinstate Blount and would take Oregon's appeal under consideration if it occurred.
 * Reinstatement

Blount was not reinstated in time for the Stanford game, but two days after the Ducks' loss to Stanford, the Ducks requested, and the Pac-10 approved, Blount's reinstatement for the Ducks' November 14 game against Arizona State. Blount released a statement thanking head coach Kelly for showing that he "cares enough to offer me this second chance" and that it was up to Blount to "prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise." Blount suited up for the Arizona State and Arizona games, but since his replacement, LaMichael James, was playing so well, Blount did not see any playing time in those games.

In their final game of the season, the Civil War against rival Oregon State, the Ducks trailed by 9 points in the third quarter. Blount came into the game for James and several plays later, scored on a 12-yard run to bring the Ducks within 2 points. Blount ended up rushing for 51 yards in the game and the Ducks would go on to win the game 37–33 and earn a berth in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Ohio State.

Tennessee Titans
Blount was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft but agreed in principle to a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers following the draft. However, after a meeting with Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, Blount decided to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Titans instead. In August 2010, Blount was involved in another incident in which he threw a punch, this time with a Tennessee Titans teammate, defensive end Eric Bakhtiari, a few moments after having his own helmet ripped off in practice. The play ended with some pushing and shoving, Blount threw a right fist, contacting Bakhtiari's facemask.

Blount quickly talked to Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher before leaving the field. "He apologized, and I said he didn't have to apologize," Fisher said. "It's football. It's training camp." "His past is his past. Is that the first punch you've seen in camp this year? No. I'm not disappointed whatsoever. I have great confidence in the young man that he learned from his mistake, and he's very competitive. That's why we brought him in here is to watch him run the football like that," Fisher said. Blount survived the final roster cut and was placed on the Titans' 53 man roster. Blount was then waived to make room for veteran linebackers Tim Shaw (Chicago Bears) and Patrick Bailey (Pittsburgh Steelers). Titans sources indicated that Blount would be signed to the rookie practice squad, if Blount cleared waivers. Blount was waived on September 5, 2010.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On September 6, 2010 Blount was claimed off of waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played in his first regular-season NFL game in a week three 38-13 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, gaining 27 yards on six rushes and scoring one touchdown. On October 31, 2010 Blount recorded his breakout game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He accumulated 120 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries, and chipped in 9 receiving yards in the Buccaneers' 38-35 victory at the Arizona Cardinals. Highlighting the performance was a late game 43-yard run in which Blount hurdled approaching player Kerry Rhodes. At the end of his rookie season Blount had played in 13 games and accumulated 1007 rushing yards; the most by a rookie in the 2010 NFL season. Blount became the second undrafted running back in NFL history to accumulate 1000 yards in his rookie year (Dominic Rhodes was the first).

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2011 Season
Blount started off the season with only 5 carries for 15 yards against the Detroit Lions. The next week Blount reestablished his strong running ability with 13 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. This includes the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left to play. In week 5 in a game with the 49'ers, Blount injured his knee after accumulating only 15 yards rushing and was forced to miss weeks 6 and 7. Blount would ultimately return for the matchup with the New Orleans Saints. On November 20, 2011 Blount broke free from eight Green Bay Packers tacklers and scored on a 54 yard touchdown run.