EUGENE — Former Oregon Ducks safety Khalil Oliver is refuting the testimony of former Oregon coach Willie Taggart about why Oliver transferred from UO amid the 2017 season.
Taggart, who took the stand as a witness in his own defense in the civil trial involving former UO offensive lineman Doug Brenner, testified in Lane County Circuit Court on Thursday that Oliver left Oregon because, following an injury, he was no longer a starter and that it occurred in August 2017.
“He had got injured early and then when he came back he wasn’t with the ones (starters),” Taggart said. “He was disappointed that he wasn’t with the first group and he decided to transfer.”
That is factually incorrect: Oliver started the 2017 season opener against Southern Utah on Sept. 2, when his injury occurred, and announced his departure from the program on Sept. 27. Oliver, who went on to play at Missouri, told The Oregonian/OregonLive playing time was not a factor in his decision to leave Oregon.
“There was multiple factors of why I left,” Oliver told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday. “January (2017) being one of them. But I started first game of the season and was injured. Due to the staff’s response to my injury, I knew It was best for me to leave. They were clearly not ready for the positions they had been given and I had seen that early. Playing time was not a factor.”
Oliver played in 25 games at Missouri, posting 40 and 39 tackles in 2018 and 2019, respectively, with eight pass breakups in his final season.