Police report redacted as investigation of ‘serious charge’ against Florida Gators QB Treon Harris continues
Two days after it was revealed that University of Florida quarterback Treon Harris is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault, the University of Florida Police Department finally released a report Wednesday.
However, all 18 pages were mostly redacted, and the former Miami Booker T. Washington standout has not been charged as the investigation continues.
Gators coach Will Muschamp, who canceled his regularly scheduled news conference Monday, addressed reporters Wednesday for the first time since the accusations became public. Harris was suspended indefinitely Monday morning.
“It’s a very serious charge and there’s been no change in Treon’s status,” Muschamp said. “I think our statement Monday was self-explanatory.”
Harris, a two-time state champion at Booker T., went from star to suspect hours after sparking Florida’s 10-9 comeback win over Tennessee last Saturday.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a female student at the Springs Residential Complex early Sunday.
Harris was potentially poised to start Saturday evening against LSU (4-2, 0-2, Southeastern Conference), but Florida (3-1, 2-1) will again turn to struggling quarterback Jeff Driskel following the freshman’s suspension.
Muschamp issued multiple “no comments” on his knowledge of the pending investigation against Harris, including inquires on Harris’ future at the university or how he addressed the distraction to his team.
“I feel very comfortable in how we’ve approached this situation,” he said.
Muschamp did acknowledge the gravity of the situation, saying, “It always hurts anytime a young man goes through a tough situation. I'm not referring to this situation individually, but anytime you see our players hurt, you see a young man hurt, you spend a lot of time with him, it’s hard, it’s very hard.
“You get emotionally attached in all situations, absolutely.”
Meanwhile, Muschamp downplayed Florida’s other off-the-field incident Monday, calling the fistfight between sophomore quarterback Skyler Morhinweg and freshman defensive end Gerald Willis III “a tremendous misunderstanding.”
“I tell you what, we’ve made a big one out of this,” he said.
Around 7 p.m. Monday, UFPD was dispatched to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to breakup a scuffle over a pair of missing cleats.
The two players exchanged punches but no charges were filed.
“Nobody stole anything,” Muschamp said. “If anybody stole anything, they wouldn’t be on this football team anymore. I can assure you of that. We had a disagreement, and I wish it would have been handled a little bit differently.”
Before Monday’s practice, Willis couldn’t find his cleats on UF’s “air-drying system,” grabbing a pair inscribed with No.17. The “excitable freshman” thought the shoes belonged to friend and fellow defensive end Jordan Sherit. Instead, the cleats actually belonged to Mornhinweg, who now wears No. 8 after changing from No. 17 last season.
“Me and my brother Mike used to fight all the time,” Muschamp said. “It happened in our family. Maybe our family is really different from everybody else’s. Me and my brother Pat, I never won. Took swings. Never won. That’s the way it goes. Families [fight], it’s what happens.”
Morhinweg started UF’s final three games in 2013 — all losses — and is suddenly thrust into contention for the team’s backup job following Harris’ pending legal matter. The redshirt sophomore will compete alongside talented true freshman Will Grier — a likely redshirt candidate before Monday’s allegations — for the No. 2 snaps.
Grier was sidelined for three weeks with back spasms but the former four-star recruit was cleared Sunday and hasn’t displayed any rust, according to Muschamp.
“Right now Skyler and Will are swapping reps with the second group and we’ll make the decision at game time,” he said.
This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Police report redacted as investigation of ‘serious charge’ against Florida Gators QB Treon Harris continues."