When news that Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris was pulled over in a rental car for speeding and driving with a suspended license broke, many wondered how the Ducks star paid for the 2011 Nissan Altima. According to a report on Monday evening, the car was rented by a University of Oregon employee and loaned to Harris, which by itself would be an NCAA violation. However, the employee in question said she was paid for the price of the rental on the days Harris had the car, and was assured he would not be driving -- Harris didn't have a valid license, but a friend did.
The report comes from KEZI in Oregon and sheds light on the whole situation.
"So, I rented the car for my own purposes on Friday. Cliff Harris and his licensed friend, who showed me his license, asked to borrow it and paid me the full amount in cash that I paid for the rental," said the woman, who agreed to speak to KEZI, on condition of anonymity.
Harris reportedly had three other people in the car with him when he was clocked at 118 in a 65 mph zone. Two of the other occupants were reportedly Oregon football players while the other was not. None of the other three have been named.
If Harris paid for the rental car and simply used it as a loaner, it wouldn't appear to be an NCAA violation. If he did not, however, it would be. I'm sure the compliance office will be looking into the matter, but if the situation unfolded as the unnamed employee said, it doesn't seem to be a major issue, beyond the whole speeding and driving without a valid license thing.