Deonte Harty

Deonte Harty (né Harris;

Early life As a senior at Baltimore's Archbishop Curley High School, Harty was named the 2014 Varsity Sports Network Offensive Player of the Year for football. He earned All-Conference and All-State honors, and was selected to The Baltimore Sun'''s First-team All-Metro for the 2014 football season. That same year, Harty led the Friars to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) B Conference Championship and their first undefeated football season in school history, which included a 28–0 shutout victory over traditional MIAA "A" Conference powerhouse Loyola Blakefield, a game in which Harty amassed 206 total yards (140 rushing, 66 receiving) with 2 touchdowns. He recorded 2,030 yards of total offense for that season with 25 touchdowns in 10 games. He ran for 1,450 yards for the season on 130 carries with 20 rushing touchdowns. In the 2014 MIAA Championship game, Harty had 211 total yards, scoring 5 touchdowns in a 56–14 victory over St. Paul's School to win the league championship.

New Orleans Saints

2019 season Harty signed with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie undrafted free agent in 2019. After an impressive training camp featuring a 78-yard touchdown return against the New York Jets in the pre-season, he made the final cut and was named to the Saints 53-man roster.

Harty made his NFL debut on Monday Night Football'' as the Saints primary kick returner in the season-opener against the Houston Texans. During a Week 3 33–27 road victory over the Seattle Seahawks, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a 53-yard punt return, the NFL's first punt return touchdown of the season.

Harty finished his rookie year as the leader in punt returns, combined returns, and punt return yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He was the first undrafted player in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl roster as a rookie. Harty was also just one of four players in the league to have a punt return touchdown in 2019. He was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

2020 season Harty was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Saints on August 14, 2020, and was activated two days later. He scored his first professional receiving touchdown in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers. On December 19, Harty was placed on injured reserve. He was activated on January 9, 2021.

2021 season On November 26, 2021, Harty was suspended three games after a DUI arrest in July.

2022 season On March 14, 2022, the Saints placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Harty. He was placed on injured reserve on October 15.

Buffalo Bills On March 16, 2023, Harty signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. He became one of the team's main kick returners, but also saw some action on offense, catching his first touchdown with the Bills against the New York Giants. In the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins, Harty returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown, sparking a fourth-quarter comeback for the Bills as they would go on to win 21–14 and finish atop the AFC East. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

Harty was released on March 6, 2024.

Baltimore Ravens On April 14, 2024, Harty signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career-high

Regular season

Postseason Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2019 NO 1 1 1 50 50.0 50 0 - - - - - 8 177 22.1 54 0 0 0 2020 NO 2 1 8 82 10.3 24 0 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0 5 83 16.6 54 0 0 0 2023 BUF 2 0 2 37 18.5 34 0 - - - - - 1 27 27.0 27 0 0 0 Career 5 2 11 169 15.4 50 0 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0 14 287 20.5 54 0 0 0

Legal issues On July 16, 2021, Harty was arrested in Towson, Maryland on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was cited for negligent driving, reckless driving, failure to obey traffic control device instructions, and exceeding the speed limit after driving erratically and going 77 mph in a 55-mph zone.

Personal life In December 2021, Harris legally changed his name to Deonte Harty to honor his stepfather.