Harkening back to his first few days on the sidelines as Oregon’s head coach, Chip Kelly has suspended a member of his football program for the season.
Whether this one, unlike the one involving running back LeGarrette Blount, remains in effect for the entire season remains to be seen.
According to a press release issued by the school, “linebacker Kiko Alonso has been suspended for the entire 2010 football season”. Alonso was arrested over the weekend and charged with DUI.
The statement included very strong language that Alonso would indeed miss all of the 2010 season.
“Kelly added that specific details,” the release read, “regarding Alonso’s involvement within the program during the suspension are still being formulated, but that the suspension would definitely exclude the Los Gatos, Calif., redshirt freshman from playing in any games during the entire 2010 season.”
Of course, in the aftermath of Blount’s Punch Hear ‘Round the College Football World, Kelly not only announced that Blount had been suspended for the entire 2009 season, but that there was no chance of the running back returning at all. Here are the words from the school’s own press release announcing that suspension:
“Kelly emphasized that Blount will remain a part of the school’s football program and remain on scholarship throughout the remainder of the year. ... However he will not be allowed to participate in any games.”
Of course, Blount did indeed return after extensively rehabilitating his image in the eyes of the school and football program.
It should also be noted that Alonso was a little-used backup whose main contributions came on special teams. On the other hand, star running back LaMichael James, the Pac-10’s Freshman Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, was hit with domestic violence charges that included the words “menacing” and “strangulation”.
The running back is still a member of the football program. And has not been suspended.
Just sayin’, is all...