The Oregonian is on a quest to get to the bottom of what Boise State’s Byron Hout said to Oregon’s LeGarette Blount last week prior to getting knocked out. There are two popular rumors circulating, and Boise State hasn’t come forward to deny either of them.

The most circulated and not denied by those inside the Boise State program is that Hout asked Blount how his dead family member was doing. The one he buried just a few weeks ago … The second rumor not denied by Boise State’s program is that Hout dropped the N bomb. Did he? I don’t know. They won’t say because Hout doesn’t have to be accountable for his actions.

Zidane’s headbutt all over again? Unless Hout gets paid by some talk show to tell the truth, we might never find out what he said. We imagine SI, ESPN, and a host of other media outlets have dispatched reporters to Eugene in an effort to land the first story with Blount, the suspended senior … but what about Hout, the guy who triggered the punch?

Boise State has decided not to suspend Hout. Fine. But is nobody going to force the issue to find out what was said? Will perceptions of Blount change if one of the two rumors from above are confirmed? His chances of getting drafted in the NFL next year could hinge on it.

Blount? Good for Oregon. But what about Hout? (Oregonian)