Cliff Harris Declaring For 2012 NFL Draft, According To Report

Former Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris’ college football career has been in limbo since he was dismissed from the team a few weeks ago, but it now appears he’ll attempt to catch on in the NFL. According to a report on Wednesday, Harris will declare for the 2012 NFL Draft, forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility.

The report comes from Tony Pauline on Twitter.

Under California state law, he could not be arrested for possessing such a small amount of marijuana, so he was cited and released at the scene.

Harris had previously been suspended after he was cited for driving under a suspended license. He had also been suspended at the start of the season after being ticketed for driving 118 mph. The cornerback has not played in any of the Ducks’ six most recent games, including the Pac-12 championship against UCLA.

Starting the year suspended, he played in only four games this season, accumulating eight tackles and an interception. Oregon fans called for him to play, but he evidently wasn’t able to make his way back into the coaching staff’s good graces.

Harris is a talented, dynamite player who’ll be remembered best in Eugene for his diverse array of traffic adventures -- coaxing land speed records from seemingly ungifted automobiles, informing law enforcement exactly how much weed had been smoked, and so forth.

Oregon Ducks cornerback Cliff Harris appeared in a Eugene court to clear up charges stemming from an Oct. 24 traffic stop. Harris was stopped and cited for a variety of charges for the second time this year, the first of which came after troopers clocked him at 118 mph on a highway. The Ducks’ star defensive back and punt returner answered to a seatbelt charge, as well as a charge of driving with a suspended license on Thursday.

According to KVAL, Harris pleaded guilty to one charge and no contest to another, receiving $400 worth of fines in total.

This isn’t Harris’ first suspension of 2011; he was suspended for Oregon’s season-opening loss to LSU after a June incident. And that precedent probably contributed to the swift decision to suspend Harris on Monday night.

In any case, when he has been eligible to play, Harris hasn’t been as effective as he was when garnering All-American honors in 2010. After picking off six passes, returning one for a touchdown, and additionally returning four punts for touchdowns in 2010, Harris has one interception and no return touchdowns through six games of the 2011 season.

Cliff Harris’ troubles behind the wheel continue: Cited by EPD today for driving while suspended, uninsured and without a seatbelt.Harris served a one-game suspension after a speeding incident in June and repeated failure to appear in court, and that incident turned into a saga that included, among other things, his mother paying over $1,600 in fines and the phrase “we smoked it all” being used with the it being marijuana, the “we” including Harris and Oregon’s Darron Thomas, and the phrase being directed at a police officer.

And now Harris is in trouble again. At some point, he should probably invest in a bicycle.

Video of Harris’ apology and explanation of the incident is after the jump.

It wasn’t just the speeding that drew the ire of many after the speeding incident. When questioned about marijuana by the officer who pulled him over, Harris said he’d, “smoked it all.” The whole incident appears to be water under the bridge now, though, and Harris seems to have learned a less from the incident and the fallout that came as a result of it.

Like Ohio State, Auburn and USC, the University of Oregon has a giant bulleye on its back right now as one of premiere programs in the nation. They’re already dealing with LaMichael James’ and Lache Seastrunk’s relationship with Willie Lyles.

It really doesn’t help matters that the rental car Harris was driving had been paid for by a University employee. The report from KEZI in Oregon sheds light on the whole situation.

To recap: according to Thomas, he went to sleep as someone else was driving the car. When he woke up, Harris had been driving and the police had stopped the car for going 118 miles an hour. Somehow, Harris hopped into the driver seat, allegedly smoked all the weed, and decided to joyride the rental, all while Thomas dozed off without noticing a thing.

Let’s also keep in mind that Thomas seems to always be riding shotgun when bad things happen in a car driven by a fellow Oregon player. There was the Eddie Pleasant incident, the Jeremiah Masoli incident that involved marijuana and now the Cliff Harris incident. It’s not a good look at all.

↵↵HE LET THEM ALL GO! Harris and his party probably continued their crime spree by robbing a bank, using the money to buy a bunch of Fun Size candy bars not meant for individual retail sale, selling them individually anyway, and using that money to open a factory and manufacture mattresses with tags on them that read, “they’re probably not flammable, don’t worry about it.” Do not purchase these mattresses.

Alonso was suspended after an alcohol-related incident, while Harris’ suspension was for driving for 118 miles per hour with a suspended license. Harris will miss at least Oregon’s huge season-opening game against LSU, and Kelly isn’t saying when he’ll be back after that. Who knows what Kelly will decide, but since Harris is practicing with the team, it looks like Harris will be back sooner rather than later, but it’s a shame for Ducks fans that Oregon’s first 2011 game is against one of the best teams in the country.

For more on Oregon Ducks football, check out Addicted To Quack.