Chip Kelly announced Friday that Jeremiah Masoli will not take the field for Oregon in 2010.
"I want to apologize to the fans of the University of Oregon," Kelly said. "I want to apologize to the faculty of the University of Oregon. This is not what our football program is all about."
Sadly for Oregon, that seems to be all that their football program is about right now: how to deal with players who end up in the criminal justice system. Also having their punishments announced Friday: Rob Beard and LaMichael James, who pleaded guilty to harassment and will each miss the first game of the season.
Our Oregon blog, Addicted To Quack, is as satisfied as anyone can be with something like this.
With all the speculation that has been happening over the past few weeks, I think that these punishments are fair. James and Beard made mistakes, and when presented with poor situations, made the wrong decisions.
Jeremiah Masoli’s crime was much more premeditated, and he reportedly broke Chip Kelly’s number one rule: he lied to the coach. I’m honestly surprised he wasn’t entirely kicked off the team, though I support the University standing by the student-athletes and helping them compete their education.
One can fairly wonder how long fans will remain so patient.