MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Gopher wide receiver Ge’Shun Harris has been dismissed from the University of Minnesota football program, head coach Jerry Kill said Thursday.
Kill said Harris was dismissed for what he labeled a violation of team policies. Criminal charges were filed against Harris in Ramsey County Court Thursday in connection with the January incident. Once the football program had knowledge of the case, Harris was immediately dismissed.
The 20-year-old Harris was charged with one felony count of financial transaction card fraud for allegedly using a stolen credit card that police say he took from a person’s bag at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Jan. 3.
Kill said he was not aware of anything involving Harris until Thursday.
“Every member of our team is well aware of our expectations of them and how we enforce our team policies,” Kill said in a statement.
According to a criminal complaint, Harris was spotted on video surveillance taking bags from two baggage claim carousels at the airport on Jan. 3. One of the bags had a credit card in it, which Harris allegedly used to the amount of nearly $900 for several purchases at the Rosedale Mall on Jan. 11.
On Jan. 23, a woman claiming to be Harris’s mother called police and said she tried to mail the victim $900 to pay the victim back for the missing items, the complaint states.
When contacted by police, Harris said he grabbed the wrong bag from the carousel and didn’t return it because he didn’t want to be arrested for stealing the bag. He said he touched some of the times in the bag and threw them away because of that. He admitted to using the victim’s credit card at a gas station, two GNC stores and a Macy’s.
Harris faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.
