Tide might turn in favor of Blount

An eventful first week of the college football season is in the books, and the biggest losers are Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.

Of course, Bradford is one of the good guys. He turned down the NFL to return to school, a decision he might regret now. Bradford suffered a shoulder injury and was knocked out in the Sooners' 14-13 loss to Brigham Young.

While everyone wishes a full recovery for Bradford, Blount has been suspended for the rest of the Ducks' season.

Blount sucker punched Boise State's Byron Hout after the Broncos' 19-8 victory over Oregon on Sept. 3. Hout taunted Blount, who threw a straight right that hit Hout's jaw and knocked him down.

Blount then went into full crazed-lunatic mode and had to be restrained from attacking heckling Boise State fans. To his credit, Blount spoke to the media after the incident and apologized for his actions.

After the initial outrage, public opinion might be turning a bit in Blount's favor.

Seattle Times columnist Bud Withers wrote: "My initial reaction was Blount would get a three-game suspension. Half the season would have been understandable. To shove him out the door and say you'll never play here again was excessive."

• IN THE OTHER CORNER -- Blount could have a future as a boxer, at least. How about a matchup with Shaquille O'Neal?

The 7-foot-1-inch, 320-pound O'Neal is 0-1 after losing a unanimous decision to 5-10, 160-pound Oscar De La Hoya on Shaq's ABC reality series. Blount's one punch was stronger than anything O'Neal and De La Hoya threw in five rounds.

• A SHOT AT TEQUILA? -- After seeing Blount clock Hout, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman made this remark on Twitter: "I want to punch a bunch of guys but i would never risk getting suspended and fined i love my $."

Never say never. Sunday morning, Merriman was being released from jail after he was arrested and accused of choking and restraining reality TV star Tila Tequila.

Merriman, who said the allegations are false, now risks getting suspended and losing some of the money he loves.

• ANGER MANAGEMENT -- Tiger Woods' golf season has been full of ups and downs, blown putts and emotional blowups.

Woods was so frustrated last weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston, he threw a temper tantrum and tossed his driver into an abyss.

"An overheated Woods, who has been known to vent his anger with bursts of spontaneous fury that make grown men wince, women cover their ears and children cower, angrily spiked his driver into the ground on the fifth tee," wrote Steve Elling of CBSSports.com.

"The club sprung several feet into the air and spiraled into a wetlands area several yards away, where caddie Steve Williams spent several awkward moments looking for the club as his boss strolled past, still fuming. Moreover, as Woods spiked the club, he screamed two coarse and unprintable expletives at himself."

Luckily, there was no Boise State football player around for Woods to punch.

COMPILED BY MATT YOUMANS LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL