NO ACTUAL VERDICT by Tannen

Today's Chip Kelly press conference was really interesting. As usual the members of Conclusion Jumpers Anonymous were front and center screaming their opinions before the facts were in. The ongoing effort to join the Glen Beck show. Then the coach presented his case. LeGarrette Blount was not reinstated and might never play football at Oregon again. He will literally have to fall in line and meet standards for academics, behavior and yes, football. I think it's important to remember that in the aftermath of the Boise State ugliness, many applauded Kelly for pulling the football but allowing the young guy to pursue his academics. Since then he's said and done all the right things, except for one thing. School hadn't begun so there was no way to see if he'd keep up in the classroom. Now there is. If the coach gets a report Blount is missing class, or not making progress, he's out. So let's do the math. He's missed the last 3 games and will definitely not suit up for Washington State, UCLA, Washington and USC. If he's a fine young lad, and climbs those so-called "ladders" Chip Kelly mentioned, he'd have a 4 game season plus a bowl game. Prior to hearing the media session, I was confused and leaning towards the negative because I didn't understand why the issue was resurfacing. But once the new boss laid out the groundwork, made us realize the human element and reiterated this is far from a done deal, it makes a lot more sense. One element that astounded me was the national impact. At the time of this writing, just past noon, USA Today's website is conducting a poll. To reinstate or not reinstate? More than 54-hundred people have voted and it's running 51% go 49% in favor of his returning because in the words of whoever posted the poll, he's made amends. Now we wait and see how this ongoing drama plays out.