Steve Spurrier implements his strict “6 strikes” policy, dismisses Garcia
"Could you not ask your questions so loud? I'm extremely hungover right now..."
Steve Spurrier earned a reputation as a quarterback guru during his days at the University of Florida where his run and gun style put up gaudy stats for his quarterbacks and launched the illustrious careers of guys like Doug Johnson, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Rex Grossman, who will all undoubtedly buy a ticket to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday. Since coming back to the college game at South Carolina, it has been difficult for the old ball coach to build any kind of offensive dominance, hardly ever getting the opportunity to run up the score on lesser schools. Part of the problem was Spurrier’s inability to recruit a top notch talent at quarterback that would allow him to throw the football all over the field. That was supposed to have changed when Stephen Garcia, now a 5th year senior, came to Columbia, but oh how the wheels drunkenly fell off that plan.
From ESPN.com:
South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia has been dismissed from the No. 15 Gamecocks, a move that a source told ESPN.com’s Chris Low resulted from his testing positive for marijuana and alcohol.
Athletic director Eric Hyman said the fifth-year senior failed to meet agreed-upon guidelines put in place after Garcia’s fifth suspension this past spring. The source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com’s Low that Garcia’s agreement in returning stipulated he would not drink alcohol.
Coach Steve Spurrier said Garcia was given several chances to be a student athlete at South Carolina and it was sad he could not live up to that commitment.
He was suspended five different times during his time at South Carolina before going on last-chance probation. That means that in one season, he was suspended two different times! Steve Spurrier doesn’t kid around when he says someone was given “several” chances. It was good of South Carolina to remind the kids out there that it’s important to act right, and stay away from drugs and alcohol. Unless you’re uniquely talented at sports, in which case, only abuse them up five instances of being caught, otherwise you’ll be in big trouble. It makes you wonder, though, if Garcia had fewer than nine interceptions to just four touchdowns, would the athletic department found a seventh chance for him?
