Gamecocks' Stephen Garcia kicked off team

By Joel Provano

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Stephen Garcia, the troubled South Carolina quarterback, has been kicked off the team, according to published reports.

The State newspaper is reporting that head coach Steve Spurrier dismissed Garcia for failing to live up to the terms of his reinstatement from a previous suspension. Garcia, a fifth-year senior, has been suspended five times for violations.

Garcia was informed of the decision Tuesday morning.

The State published a statement from Athletics director Eric Hyman, which said:

“Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right, and we remind all of our student-athletes that there are consequences for their actions. For Stephen to return to and remain with the football squad this fall, we agreed on several established guidelines. Unfortunately, he has not been able to abide by those guidelines and has therefore forfeited his position on the roster. We wish him the best of luck as he moves forward in life.”

In the same statment, Spurrier said: “We are all saddened that this has occurred. We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete here at South Carolina. Obviously, he has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract. We wish him the best.”

Garcia's latest suspension came in April -- his second of the spring. ESPN reported that the suspension resulted from Garcia's behavior at a mandatory team leadership meeting at which he was loud and disruptive.

Garcia was benched for last week's game with Kentucky and was replaced by Connor Shaw, who led the Gamecocks to a 54-3 win.