Blount's Punch

I read the article on Blount punching a Boise st. player. Before I read the article, I agreed with the punishment of the year long suspension. I don't care what is said to you, you can't punch someone on the field or anywhere else. Period. I've played sports before and understand the idea of being in the heat of the moment, but you have to control yourself. After reading the article, I still feal that the year long suspension was appropriate. The only thing that made me think about the length of the punishment in the article was the comparison to other athletes such as Ron Artest, Shaq, and NHL players. This seems to be a fair point but I still feel that the year long suspension is appropriate. I do think the possibility exists that Blount was made an example of by putting the foot down so forcefully with the length of the suspension, however I think the message needed to be sent that what happened was completely unacceptable.
I realize these are hypothetical situations, but I think they are interesting to think about. One, lets say that Blount fully lands the punch on the Boise St. player and breaks his jaw. Now that player is out for what I would assume to be at least a month. Are people still so outraged by the year long suspension? Two, lets say Blount was a sophomore. He would still have at least one more year in college before he could turn pro. You can't look at the situation and say 'well hes a senior and this is it for him so we are going to go easy on him.' It just so happens that he was a senior, now his career is done, and he must deal with the consequences. I think the same thing goes for his NFL prospects. The fact that he might/would get drafted is irrelevant in my mind. You can say that because he is a NFL prospect that he should get less of a penalty. Lets say he wasnt that good and had no hope for the NFL; would people still feel the same way? The fact that hes a senior and an NFL prospect just makes this situation that much more interesting.