Brought together by Oregon coach Chip Kelly and school officials, suspended running back LeGarrette Blount spoke with former NBA forward Kermit Washington, who punched Rudy Tomjanovich in an on-court brawl in 1977.

Washington’s punch, which nearly killed Tomjanovich, resonates as one of the most notable examples of violence in sports, along with Ron Artest’s meltdown in a brawl between the Pacers and Pistons in 2004, and NHL right wing Tie Domi’s sucker punch that knocked out Ulf Samuelsson.
Blount was suspended for the season last week for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout following the opener between the two teams. The hit was captured by national television, and has been shown countless times since.
Blount apologized to reporters immediately following the game. Then he and Kelly called Hout and Broncos coach Chris Petersen to personally apologize over the weekend.
And he spoke with Washington, who told him not to make any excuses.
Washington, who was then with the Los Angeles Lakers, was suspended for 60 days, spanning 26 games, following his clocking of Tomjanovich. His career was never the same afterward.
Tomjanovich, who played for the Rockets, recovered and went on to coach in the NBA.
Since he left the NBA, Washington has devoted much of his time to numerous charities.
Kelly also said he heard from Miami coach Randy Shannon, who was the defensive coordinator when the Hurricanes were involved in a melee against Florida International in 2006.
“Those are two specifically that kind of walked in either LeGarrette’s shoes, or had been in that situation before,” Kelly said. “That part is encouraging, that there are people out there that are willing to help you and try to counsel you on what’s the right thing to do.”
Blount was allowed to stay on scholarship and practice, but he cannot play in any games. The suspension effectively ends his career with the Ducks.
As for the others, Ron Artest served the longest suspension in NBA history (the equivalent of 73 games and the playoffs) and Domi was suspended for eight games.