METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints receiver/kick returner Deonte Harris is appealing a three-game suspension from the NFL for a summer DUI arrest near his hometown of Baltimore, a source confirmed.
A final ruling could be handed down soon since Harris’ case was resolved earlier in November when he was sentenced to one year of supervised probation. The length of Harris’ suspension was first reported by the NFL Network.
Maryland court records show that Harris pleaded not guilty but agreed to the statement of facts in the police report. According to that police report, which was obtained by NOLA.com, Harris registered a blood alcohol content of 0.246% after driving more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit and swerving across three lanes of traffic on the interstate at 1:30 a.m.
Harris, 23, was named first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019 as an undrafted kick returner out of Assumption College. The 5-foot-6, 170-pounder has also become an essential part of New Orleans’ offense as a receiver. He leads the team with 427 receiving yards this season on 27 catches — including two touchdowns of 72 and 55 yards.
The Saints’ offense has already been depleted this year by a combination of injuries and salary-cap cuts — including receiver Michael Thomas being sidelined for the entire season by an ankle injury and quarterback Jameis Winston suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8. The Saints also have been without star running back Alvin Kamara for the past three games, but he is expected back soon.
The Saints (5-6) rank 27th in the NFL with 309.4 yards per game.