LeGarrette Blount LeGarrette Montez Blount ( born December 5 , 1986 ) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010 . Blount rushed for over 1 , 000 yards in each of his two seasons in junior college . He then committed to the Oregon Ducks football program as a junior , for the 2008 season . That year he ran for over 1 , 000 yards and scored a school record 17 touchdowns . After the opening game of the 2009 season , Blount was suspended for punching an opponent and angrily confronting fans immediately after the nationally televised season - opening loss . Though the suspension was announced to be for the remainder of the season , due to his meeting of specific criteria set by the football staff , he was eventually reinstated after missing ten games . Early life and high school career . Blount was born December 5 , 1986 in Madison , Florida , to Gary and Barbara Blount . Blount is the great - nephew of Sun Ra ( born Herman Poole Blount ) . He has one brother and one sister . He attended Taylor County High School in Perry , Florida , where he was a four - year starter and three - time 1 , 000 - yard rusher . He accorded second - team all - state player honors as a prep senior . Considered only a two - star recruit by both " Rivals . com " and " Scout . com " , Blount was not ranked among the best running back prospects in the nation in 2005 . Barely recruited out of high school , he attended camp at Auburn University but was not offered an athletic scholarship . He nonetheless intended to go to Auburn but did not qualify academically , so he headed for junior college . College career . East Mississippi Community College . While at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba , Mississippi , Blount rushed for more than 1 , 000 yards in each of his two seasons , accumulating 367 carries for 2 , 292 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns . Among his career highlights was a 273 - yard performance with three scores in a win over Northeast Mississippi Community College during his freshman year ; he led the state of Mississippi in rushing yards with 1 , 106 as early as October 2006 . Blount was rated as the No . 1 junior college prospect by " The Clarion - Ledger " and received Junior College All - American honors . By the end of his sophomore year , Blount had become one of the highest ranked junior college prospects . He was named the nation ’ s top junior college running back and the No . 12 overall prospect in the Rivals . com Junior College Top 100 . Blount was heavily recruited by several high - major schools , including Florida State , Ole Miss , and West Virginia . He committed to Oregon in December 2007 . Oregon coaches said Blount reminded them of Reuben Droughns . Oregon Ducks . Blount entered his junior year at Oregon sharing the running back role with senior Jeremiah Johnson . The two backs lived together , and the talkative Johnson advised Blount in his first Pac - 10 season . For Blount , it was the first season in which he split time with another running back , and his reaction was mixed . The two backs each contributed nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns in an early 63 – 14 win over the Washington State Cougars , and both again performed well in a late season victory over the Oregon State Beavers . But Blount brought lackluster performances to games against USC and Cal . Overall , Blount rushed for 17 touchdowns , setting a single - season school record , and 1 , 002 yards . Blount and Johnson became only the second duo in team history to both clear 1 , 000 rushing yards in the same season ; Johnson led the team with 1 , 201 yards . He clashed several times during the season with veteran head coach Mike Bellotti , earning a suspension for the first quarter of a November loss to the Cal Golden Bears for " not following team rules . " After the end of the season , he missed a number of workouts . Bellotti suspended him indefinitely on February 10 for " failure to fulfill team obligations . " Blount responded fairly well to the suspension , improving his attendance in both academic and athletic pursuits . He was reinstated by newly - appointed head coach Chip Kelly in March . He attended some , but not all , voluntary workouts during the off - season , but was praised for an improved attitude by fellow members of the football program . He arrived at training camp in better physical shape than in 2008 . At , he was somewhat above his optimal weight , but was slimming down , and aiming for a 2 , 000 yard season . Blount was named to the watch lists for the Walter Camp Award and the Doak Walker Award for the 2009 season . Boise State incident . The Ducks opened their 2009 season with a 19 – 8 loss to the Boise State Broncos . Blount ended the game with negative yardage ( - 8 ) and points ( - 2 from a safety ) . Shortly after the end of the game , Blount punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout , knocking him to the ground . Blount then hit teammate Garrett Embry , who was attempting to restrain him , in the helmet . As he was escorted to the locker room , Blount confronted Boise State fans who were jeering at him after seeing the video replay . Blount says that one Boise State fan brandished a chair at him and another punched him . Two police officers and Oregon assistant coach Scott Frost restrained Blount and escorted him into the locker room . Video of the incident spread rapidly on the Internet . Blount apologized after the incident saying , " I just apologize to everybody that was watching this — ESPN , national TV — I just apologize to all of our fans , all the Boise fans . It was just something that I shouldn ' t have done . I lost my head , and I shouldn ' t have taken it that far . " Oregon coach Kelly suspended Blount for the rest of the 2009 season . According to the Associated Press , " On Friday [ Kelly ] told a sobbing Blount of his decision : That punch would cost Blount the season , and ultimately his career with the Ducks . ' He understands that his actions are unacceptable . We will not put up with that . ' Kelly said . " Blount was not dismissed from the team , however , and will be permitted to attend practice and retain his scholarship . Chip Kelly consulted with Oregon officials in advance of Blount ' s suspension . Afterward , the Pac - 10 expressed support for the suspension . Kelly stated that he made his judgment based on the entire event and had not theorized how it would have changed had only certain parts of the incident occurred . Following the announcement of Blount ' s punishment , a number of sports writers and analysts questioned whether or not suspension for the entire season was excessive . Wrote analyst Tom Dienhart : " But did Blount ' s punishment ( banned from games the rest of the season ) fit the crime ? Blount should have been benched for three to five games , giving him a break for being in an emotional spot after being provoked by Hout . " Blount called Hout and Petersen to apologize on September 5 . Kelly participated in the calls . Hout was not suspended for his taunting , though Petersen stated that he did receive disciplinary action . Petersen accepted the apology as sincere , and expressed the wish that Blount would be able to go on playing football , and that many parties would learn from the experience . Blount was given the opportunity to continue practicing with the team but was not at the first practice due to unspecified obligations . However , Blount was on the sidelines at practice the following day and began practice with the scout team a week later . On October 1 , an apology letter from Blount was published in the Oregon school newspaper the " Oregon Daily Emerald " . Later that day , the Oregon Athletic Department released a statement indicating that a plan that could reinstate Blount to the team was under consideration . The next day , head coach Chip Kelly announced that if Blount meets certain guidelines , he could return for the November 7 game against the Stanford Cardinal . Pac - 10 commissioner Larry Scott responded that the conference alone had the power to reinstate Blount and would take Oregon ' s appeal under consideration if it occurred . Blount was not reinstated in time for the Stanford game , but two days after the Ducks ' loss to Stanford , the Ducks requested , and the Pac - 10 approved , Blount ' s reinstatement for the Ducks ' November 14 game against Arizona State . Blount released a statement thanking head coach Kelly for showing that he " cares enough to offer me this second chance " and that it was up to Blount to " prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise . " Blount suited up for the Arizona State and Arizona games , but since his replacement , LaMichael James , was playing so well , Blount did not see any playing time in those games . In their final game of the season , the Civil War against rival Oregon State , the Ducks trailed by 9 points in the third quarter . Blount came into the game for James and several plays later , scored on a 12 - yard run to bring the Ducks within 2 points . Blount ended up rushing for 51 yards in the game and the Ducks would go on to win the game 37 – 33 and earn a berth in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Ohio State . Professional career . Tennessee Titans . Blount was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft but agreed in principle to a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers following the draft . However , after a meeting with Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher , Blount decided to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Titans instead . In August 2010 , Blount was involved in another incident in which he threw a punch , this time with a Tennessee Titans teammate , defensive end Eric Bakhtiari , a few moments after having his own helmet ripped off in practice . The play ended with some pushing and shoving , Blount threw a right fist , contacting Bakhtiari ' s facemask . Blount quickly talked to Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher before leaving the field . " He apologized , and I said he didn ' t have to apologize , " Fisher said . " It ' s football . It ' s training camp . " " His past is his past . Is that the first punch you ' ve seen in camp this year ? No . I ' m not disappointed whatsoever . I have great confidence in the young man that he learned from his mistake , and he ' s very competitive . That ' s why we brought him in here is to watch him run the football like that , " Fisher said . Blount survived the final roster cut and was placed on the Titans ' 53 man roster . Blount was then waived to make room for veteran linebackers Tim Shaw ( Chicago Bears ) and Patrick Bailey ( Pittsburgh Steelers ) . Titans sources indicated that Blount would be signed to the rookie practice squad , if Blount cleared waivers . Blount was waived on September 5 , 2010 . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On September 6 , 2010 Blount was claimed off of waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He played in his first regular - season NFL game in a week three 38 - 13 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers , gaining 27 yards on six rushes and scoring one touchdown . On October 31 , 2010 Blount recorded his breakout game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer . He accumulated 120 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries , and chipped in 9 receiving yards in the Buccaneers ' 38 - 35 victory at the Arizona Cardinals . Highlighting the performance was a late game 43 - yard run in which Blount hurdled approaching player Kerry Rhodes . At the end of his rookie season Blount had played in 13 games and accumulated 1007 rushing yards ; the most by a rookie in the 2010 NFL season . Blount became the second undrafted running back in NFL history to accumulate 1000 yards in his rookie year ( Dominic Rhodes was the first ) . 2011 Season . Blount started off the season with only 5 carries for 15 yards against the Detroit Lions . The next week Blount reestablished his strong running ability with 13 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings . This includes the game - winning touchdown with 30 seconds left to play . In week 5 in a game with the 49 ' ers , Blount injured his knee after accumulating only 15 yards rushing and was forced to miss weeks 6 and 7 . Blount would ultimately return for the matchup with the New Orleans Saints . On November 20 , 2011 Blount broke free from eight Green Bay Packers tacklers and scored on a 54 yard touchdown run .