Spurrier lifts Garcia's suspension
With spring practice ended, Stephen Garcia has received an early reinstatement to the USC football team.
On March 6, the freshman quarterback, twice arrested on misdemeanors this winter, was suspended from team activities through the end of the spring semester. But coach Steve Spurrier announced Stephen Garcia’s return during a Lexington County Gamecock Club meeting Monday night.
“He called me — he loves calling my cell number,” Spurrier told the audience. “He said, ‘Coach am I back on the team now?’ I said, ‘OK, Steve, spring practice is over, you’re back on the team.’”
Stephen Garcia attending a team-related meeting at 5 p.m. Monday.
“He was in there with a smile on his face. He realizes he missed being part of the team,” Spurrier said. “Hopefully, he’s learned his lesson; only time will tell. And we’ll see what he can do next preseason.”
This is the second time Stephen Garcia has had a suspension lifted earlier than previously announced. After his first arrest on a public drunkenness charge, Spurrier lifted Stephen Garcia’s suspension a day after it was announced.
After his second arrest, for keying a car, Stephen Garcia applied for pretrial intervention. He sat out all of spring practice.
After Saturday’s spring game Spurrier said Stephen Garcia was on his last chance.
Lindsey to miss games. Junior middle linebacker Dustin Lindsey tore his medial collateral ligament in the spring game and will need surgery. Spurrier told reporters that Lindsey, who missed all of last year because of academics, would be out until late September or October.
Lindsey was listed as a backup middle linebacker on the pre-spring depth chart.
In other injury news, Spurrier said strongside linebacker Marvin Sapp will miss the next couple months with an ankle injury. He said Sapp should be ready for the season.
Flag reaction. Spurrier said he hasn’t received any feedback on his Confederate flag comments and doesn’t expect any.
“It’s history,” he said.
Spurrier told the City Year service group on Friday night that he felt the Confederate flag should be removed from the State House grounds.
Extra points. Spurrier told the club he expects Richland Northeast High star Mark Barnes to be academically eligible this fall. Barnes, who can play safety and receiver, was a consensus top-50 prospect who signed with the Gamecocks. ... The coach also said incoming freshman Chris Culliver and returning sophomore Captain Munnerlyn were the early favorites to return kicks. ... Spurrier predicted that sophomore Lemuel Jeanpierre, who moved from defensive tackle during the spring, will emerge as a starter this fall on the offensive line.
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