South Carolina Football: Spurrier's Underage Drinking Quote Better Left Unsaid

South Carolina backup quarterback Tanner McEvoy was arrested last week in North Carolina and charged with speeding and driving after consuming under the age of 21.

That arrest triggered an automatic suspension from the football team, according to South Carolina policy. That suspension didn't last long.

Head coach Steve Spurrier told the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier on Saturday that McEvoy's suspension has been lifted.

While the news of McEvoy's suspension isn't surprising—after all, it wasn't a DUI—Spurrier's justification for lifting the suspension will raise a few eyebrows.

“You want him suspended for having a beer and he’s underage?” Spurrier told the Post and Courier. “How many football players would be playing if they had a beer and they were underage?” 

While factually Spurrier's comments are probably accurate, some things are better left unsaid.

This is one of those cases.

Laws are laws, and while the legal drinking age is the subject of much debate, the fact that it is the law isn't.

Spurrier's job is to win football games, but he's also there to be a leader to the young men who are in the football program. It's not his responsibility, however, to decide which laws apply to his team and which laws don't—even if he doesn't agree with them.

The Head Ball Coach is always good for a good quote or two—which is greatly appreciated, but this one was better left in his mind rather than the newspaper. It doesn't set a good example to his players that some laws are allowed to be broken, while others are not.

Follow @BarrettSallee