Deonte Harris appealing 3-game suspension following offseason DUI

Well the hits start coming and they don’t stop coming. The New Orleans Saints could be without their best wide receiver if his appeal for a three-game suspension from the NFL is unsuccessful. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Deonte Harris is in the process of appealing a suspension that would sideline him for three games, following the closure of his offseason DUI charge which resulted in a year of probation.

Harris leads the team in receiving yards (427) and has been their most consistent threat in the passing game, as well as their biggest weapon in returning punts and kickoffs. Losing him for any length of time is going to be a challenge to overcome given the state of the receiving corps.

But it’s something the Saints have planned for by signing slot receiver Malcolm Perry to the practice squad and trying out a group of free agents a few weeks ago. Everyone knew a suspension was coming following Harris’ offseason arrest. Now that the legal process has wrapped up, the NFL can move forwards with its own discipline.

Depending on how long the appeals process takes to unfold given the long holiday weekend, Harris could play next week against the Dallas Cowboys before being sidelined. But there’s little chance this suspension gets overturned given his cooperation in court. He’ll most likely end up serving the three-game suspension sooner or later — the only question is when, and how badly his absence hurts the team.

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