‘Patience is a virtue’: Jermari Harris finally returns after injury, suspension

When Iowa junior cornerback Jermari Harris addressed the media Tuesday afternoon, he opened with an announcement, confirming what many already knew.

“I’m sure, as you all know, I was suspended two weeks for gambling, a situation I deeply regret,” Harris said. “It was a mistake that I made.”

A tough situation for a player who already had missed the entirety of the 2022 season due to injury. Harris intercepted four passes in 2021 before suffering a long-term injury in the Citrus Bowl. A return 625 days in the making, delayed by what he labeled a mistake.

“23 years of life I’ve made plenty of mistakes,” Harris said. “I’m sure I’m going to make a lot more, but the key is acknowledging it and finding a way to be better.”

Harris said the biggest lesson he learned through it was the importance of the cliche, “patience is a virtue.”

“Last week was the longest and quickest week in a long time,” Harris said of the days leading up his return to play against Western Michigan. “Just the value of patience. It was a big test of my patience and I feel as though I passed that test.”

At long last, Harris was re-inserted into the starting lineup, and wasn’t quite the player that picked off four passes in that 2021 season. He recorded just one tackle and was mostly a non-factor.

“Instead of playing tough, physical, smart football I was trying to make a play for the team,” Harris said of his performance.

“Even though he let up a few plays… he loves this game and he’s going to bounce back,” fellow defensive back Sebastian Castro said.

“It’s exciting just to be able to have him back,” Logan Lee said. “He’s a great leader for us and it’s been a long road, so we’re super excited to have him back.”

And now in his second game back, Harris will help lead the Hawkeyes defense into State College in the team’s biggest spot yet.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Harris said. “We look forward to the challenge.”

For more Hawkeyes coverage, follow @HawkeyeHQ on Twitter and Facebook.