Deonte Harris suspension: Why did the Saints WR receive a 3-game suspension? 

New Orleans Saints Deonte Harris has been one of the receivers that have stood out for a Saints wide receiver core that has been very anemic all season. He is second on the team with 31 receptions and targets with 53. Harris leads the Saints with 523 receiving yards and has the longest reception for the team this season with a 72-yard touchdown reception in Week Five versus the Washington Football Team.

Harris joined the team as an undrafted rookie out of little-known Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. The college, including Harris, has had three players in the league, all undrafted. Harris contributed right away to the Saints as a punt returner by logging in 338 punt return yards on 36 punt returns, averaging 9.4 yards per return. He led the league in punt returns and punt return yardage while finishing fourth in punt yards per return and had a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in Week Three.

Harris also doubled as a kickoff returner with 644 yards on 24 kickoff returns, averaging 26.8 yards per return. He finished in the top five in kickoff yards and yards per kickoff while being in the top 10 in kickoff returns. In his rookie season, Harris was selected for the Pro Bowl, was a first-team All-Pro, and was named by the Pro Football Writers Association to the All-NFL, All-NFC, and All-Rookie team. In 14 games in 2019, Harris only started one game and had one reception for six yards.

The following season, Harris finished in the top 10 in punt return yards and top 20 in punt returns. He was in the top 20 in both kickoff returns and kickoff return yards. Harris has been more so on the Saints offense than on special teams this year but is in the top five in kickoff returns and kickoff return yards. The Saints will be without Harris for the next three games.

Why Did Deonte Harris receive a Three-Game Suspension?

New Orleans Saints WR Deonte Harris

Harris was given a three-game suspension by the NFL after he received a one-year sentence for supervised probation following his not-guilty plea for driving under the influence (DUI) after a traffic incident in Baltimore, Maryland, in July of this year. The wide receiver is on probation until Nov. 8, 2022.

Per NFL policy, punishment for a first-offense DUI is suspension without pay for three games per the NFL's policy and attending a program for substance abuse, absent aggravating circumstances. Discipline for a second or subsequent offense is elevated to an eight-game suspension. The Saints will be shorthanded at a position they were already thin at.