John Canzano, who covers the University of Oregon for The Oregonian, says he has four sources who confirm that LeGarrette Blount once accidentally punched coach Mike Bellotti in the face during a practice scuffle with teammates. Bellotti has confirmed that the fight took place, but denied that he was ever struck on purpose or by accident by Blount. To go one step further, the former coach said there were no punches thrown in the scuffle, and that it only involved some jawing. The alleged incident happened well before the Boise State punch that resulted in an nearly season-long suspension. Here are Bellotti's comments on ESPN Radio. (Conflict of interest alert: Bellotti is currently an ESPN analyst.)
Canzano is an experienced journalist who is trusted by a lot of folks in the industry, so it's hard to doubt him if he says he has four independent sources who confirm the story. It's also not hard to imagine that Bellotti is protecting a former player whom he believes in and feels some loyalty to. Even if the story is true, iit's nowhere near a Latrell Sprewell-type incident where there was any intent to attack the coach. It's also worth noting that noone was suspended as a result of the incident.
So what do you guys think: does this change your opinion of Blount, or is it a shaky report that's poorly timed in light of the innocuous incident from Wednesday?