Oregon has decided to cut its losses with athletically gifted enigma Cliff Harris, who has been suspended indefinitely since mid-October.
In a press release, the Ducks announced that Harris has been dismissed from the football program for violating unspecified team rules. There was no comment from head coach Chip Kelly on his decision in the release.
Harris was suspended for the season-opening loss to LSU for an incident over the summer in which he was clocked doing 118 mph while driving a car rented in the name of a university employee. He missed the last five games of the season due to a second suspension, which stemmed from another traffic incident.
In 2010, Harris was a consensus All-American at the cornerback position. He’s also a spectacular punt returner, returning four punts for touchdowns last season alone.
It’s unclear what his football future holds, although, as a junior and given his physical talent, there’s a fairly decent chance he makes himself available for the April NFL draft instead of transferring to another school and sitting out a year.
UPDATED 9:09 p.m. ET: The Fresno Bee is reporting that Harris was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana the day after Thanksgiving. The paper writes that “Fresno police Lt. Don Gross said Harris was walking with some friends near Trinity and Tuolumne streets on Nov. 25 when they were stopped by officers.”