Former Arkansas safety Matt Harris disappointed Coach Bobby Petrino, his teammates, a fan base and, perhaps most importantly, himself when he was caught breaking curfew the week of the Liberty Bowl.

He and linebacker Wendel Davis were suspended for the game, marking the overtime loss to LSU in November as the unexpected end to their careers as Razorbacks. Petrino never struggled with the decision, but didn’t hide the hurt he felt having to suspend two leaders on the defense that had given their collegiate lives to the Razorbacks.

I didn’t struggle with the consequence at all,” Petrino said in January. “I didn’t sleep well because it hurt my stomach, it hurt my heart and the understanding of why they would do that was the only hard part.

Davis was not made available to the media Tuesday, but Harris answered questions from the press corps for the first time since the suspension that ended his football career at Arkansas.

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“It wasn’t a happy moment for either of us,” Harris recalled of his meeting with Petrino. It was a rare moment for Harris — and for any Razorback, for that matter — because of Petrino’s usual, business-like demeanor.

“Petrino is kind of a hard guy and not a very emotional guy, and when he had to do that, it really showed me a lot about what kind of man he is, too,” Harris said. “… You love these guys and they love you too. But to just do that in look at him in the eye and have to man up, and say, ‘I’m sorry, I accept the consequences.’ He didn’t want to do it and I didn’t want to accept it, but we both had to do what we had to do.”

Fast forward two months, and Harris has had to overcome the fact that he may have already played is final game as a football player.

“I’m sure I’ll go to the grave with that regret. It was a dumb decision that I made and I paid dearly for it,” Harris said Tuesday after participating in Arkansas’ pro day. “I wasn’t so mad about missing the game or playing in it, because I knew eventually there’s going to be a last game. But just not to get to say to bye to guys like (Lucas Miler) and DBs I’ve been with for years and the connection, just to hug and say, ‘Good game, man. I can’t believe we did it’ and get a bowl win. To not experience that was the hardest part for sure.”

Harris, like several Razorbacks at pro day on Tuesday, may not have a great shot at being drafted by an NFL team in April. In fact, Harris entered Tuesday without an agent for representation. He did get some notice from a couple of NFL scouts, and chatted briefly with them after a couple of drills.

He may look to sign with an agent soon, as a result.

“I kind of waited until this pro day to see how I did because I didn’t want to waste my time with an agent if I was going to come in here and no (NFL team) talked to you and you looked like an idiot with an agent,” he said.

Miller was welcomed to use Arkansas’ training facilities and weight room to prepare for the pro day. He met with strength and conditioning coaches and Athletic Director Jeff Long when the spring semester began after the Liberty Bowl.

“I thought it was going to be awkward at first, but they made it just like it was before,” he said.

Harris has trained alongside former Arkansas receiver Lucas Miller and quarterback Casey Dick — his closest friends — ever since. The trio may get a few looks from NFL teams, but as has been proven with Dick last season, they may not get a shot in the pros.

Dick, who received consideration from a Canadian Football League franchise during pro day last year, has gained about 20 pounds in muscle and said he’s been in contact with “a couple” CFL teams recently. He tossed a few passes to London Crawford, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Dick in a 31-30 victory against LSU in 2008, on Tuesday. Crawford dropped one pass during the workout, which was closed to the media.

Dick did not participate in the agility or weight-lifting sessions Tuesday.

Miller, meanwhile, is hoping to get a shot at a team workout to turn heads. It’s one thing to run the 40-yard dash and have the best vertical (35 1/2 inches) at Arkansas’ pro day, and another to prove your mettle against an NFL-type defensive back.

Miller was sidelined early last season with a broken collar bone, which required surgery. He admitted the bone “just didn’t heal right.” He played in 11 games and was limited, catching just seven passes for 83 yards and 1 touchdown. But he has shown promise. After all, he did catch 10 passes for 201 yards against Mississippi State in 2008.

“There was a lot expected out of me this last season. I didn’t really get a chance,” Miller said. “… Hopefully I’ll get a shot and be able to show people what I can do when you put a DB in front of me. I can run around in (the Walker Pavilion), but to me that doesn’t show a whole lot. I want to go out there and somebody to give me a shot and put somebody in front of me, see what happens.”

ARKANSAS PRO DAY
FS Matt Harris
40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds
Bench: 5 reps
Shuttle run: 4.1
3-cone drill: N/A
Broad jump: 10 feet
Vertical jump: 33 inches

WR Lucas Miller
40-yard dash: 4.75 seconds
Bench: N/A
Shuttle run: 4.33
3-cone drill: 6.82
Broad jump: 9 feet, 10 1/2 inches
Vertical jump: 35 1/2 inches

LB Wendel Davis
40-yard dash: 4.75 seconds
Bench: N/A
Shuttle run: N/A
3-cone drill: N/A
Broad jump: 10 feet
Vertical jump: N/A

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It’s a football-heavy week here at the Slophouse. Coach Bobby Petrino and a few select players are scheduled to speak with the media Wednesday afternoon to preview spring practice. I’ll have much more on the Slophouse and on Twitter.

Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.

— Brandon Marcello