In our twenties, many of the worst wounds are self-inflicted.
A year ago, coming off an All-American season where he returned a school-record four punts for touchdowns while leading his team and the conference in interceptions and pass breakups, NFL draft experts like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay projected Cliff Harris as a potential first-round draft pick.
Even after the NFL instituted a rookie salary cap last summer, first round picks typically sign a deal for four or five years, in the neighborhood of twenty million dollars.
Fourth round selection average about $650,000 a season, on a two or three-year contract.
An undrafted free agent, if he sticks with a team, makes the rookie minimum of $330,000, with no guarantee or signing bonus.
Photo right: Sidelined and then dismissed, Cliff Harris’ very bad, terrible, no-good year cost him a lot of money. Now he’s working harder than he ever has for an opportunity to reclaim his dream (oregonlive.com photo).
At St. Vincent Sports Performance Clinic in Indianapolis, Harris and 15 other NFL hopefuls train 10 hours a day. Football in the morning. Structured meals, therapy, psychological counseling, dynamic stretching, massages, weight training and conditioning in the afternoon. Film study at night. It’s boot camp for a fallen star. Harris loves it. He’s gained 13 pounds, he says, working every day to get better. He’ll stay at SVPC for another five weeks.
“I just want a chance to have a jersey on my back again,” Harris said. At Oregon he used to study film of Lester Hayes and Deon Sanders. “I don’t just study them, I study all the players in the NFL,” he added. In 2010, Harris picked Andrew Luck twice, Matt Barkley once, baiting Barkley into an ill-advised throw. He had a interception and a fourth quarter fumble recovery in the National Championship Game against NFL #1 draft pick Cam Newton, and came within three blades of grass of another remarkable interception that would have sealed his legend forever, a mythical, Willie Mays-type of play where Harris seems to come from nowhere, breaking on the ball before Newton even throws it.
He still keeps in contact with several Oregon players, including LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and Darron Thomas. “Those are my boys,” he said, “my teammates, and I’ll always have love for them. They made the right decisions for themselves. We’re all just doing our best to make it to the next level.”
I asked him about the Rose Bowl, what it was like to buy a ticket and sit in the stands. “I was happy for them. They’re still my teammates, and it was a monumental achievement.”
What about those exhaustive NFL scouting evaluations, the interviews, background investigations and all the questions? How will you answer them when they ask about your dismissal at Oregon, the marijuana and traffic citations, the rap that said you lacked disciplined and conformity on the field? When they ask you that stuff, what do you think you’ll say to them?
“I feel like all that stuff is in the past, and I’m working hard to become a new person,” Harris said. He cited the influence of his strength and conditioning coaches, Greg Moore and Brandon Johnson. “They’ve become mentors to me. We can talk about anything and everything.”
A consensus All-American a year ago, a former four-star high school recruit coveted by USC and half the schools in the West, a guy who dazzled with big plays in prime time games, now Harris just wants a chance. “There’s no guarantee I’ll get to go to the NFL,” he said. I asked what plan B was, if he didn’t get drafted or invited to a camp. He didn’t have one. The NFL or bust? “There’s no bust,” he said. He’s not thinking about failure or other options.
Right now, Cliff Harris is just trying to win the day.
What would he say to the Oregon fans about what happened or his experience at Oregon? “I just want to say to the fans and the people out at Oregon that I thank them for their support and I love them. They haven’t seen the last of Cliff Harris. I’ll be back.”
He’s always thrived under pressure, even when he created it for himself. Cliff Harris has a tremendous heart for the game of football. Hopefully, he is learning what he needs to reclaim his remarkable talent and the rare opportunity to succeed on its biggest stage. Less than .6 of 1% of college players make it in the league. Now out of his own way, Oregon’s former #13 has as good a shot as anyone.
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