Last week head coach Frank Spaziani announced that the team was shutting down star running back Montel Harris for the Clemson game, hoping that his surgically-repaired knee would respond to the time off with a bye weekend on the horizon.
Unfortunately for the player and the program, that will not be the case.
In a press release, BC announced that Harris, as well as senior defensive tackle Kaleb Ramsey (foot), will miss the remainder of the 2011 season due to the knee injury. The school stated that it will seek a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for each player, which would give them another season of eligibility.
“After speaking with Montel, Kaleb and our medical personnel, we decided to seek hardship waivers for both student-athletes,” head coach Frank Spaziani said in a statement. “Our doctors have stated their injuries will preclude both from returning for the remainder of this season. Both have expressed a desire to return for an additional year. We will begin the process immediately. This will enable Montel and Kaleb to concentrate on healing from their injuries and, hopefully, return for injury-free senior seasons.”
The release notes that the NCAA may grant hardship waivers to student-athletes with season-ending injuries who have appeared in fewer than 30% of their team’s competitions, with none coming after the midway point of the season. Harris played in just two of BC’s scheduled 12 games, and none came after the sixth game of the year. Thus, there should be little problem in earning a waiver from the NCAA.
Entering the season just 1,003 yards from setting the ACC’s rushing record, Harris had rushed for 135 yards this year in those two games. He did become the school’s all-time leading rusher in the loss to Wake Forest last weekend, although, ironically enough, it was on the carry that set the new standard that he aggravated the knee injury. The senior missed the first three games of the season as he was recovering from arthroscopic surgery performed during summer camp.