Stephen Garcia Dismissed: Gamecocks QB Throws Perfect Opportunity Away

Stephen Garcia enjoyed what every little boy only dreams of, and he flushed it down the toilet like many great athletes have before him. 

South Carolina's Gamecocksonline reports Stephen Garcia has been dismissed from the team for an unspecified violation of team policy. 

The report quotes athletic director Eric Hyman as stating: 

"

Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right...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.

"

Head coach Steve Spurrier chimed in with the same sentiment as the AD: 

"

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.

"

While there was no official word on what was done to warrant a dismissal that has all the signs of being final, ESPN's Jenn Brown reported exactly what we thought may have been the case. 

The tweet tells us all we needed to know about Garcia and where his heart is at the time being. The once flourishing quarterback has made his choice, and it is a reality that is heavy on the recreation, and not on the responsibility. 

USA Today reports Garcia has been suspended five times prior to Tuesday. The sixth one is surely the nail in his collegiate-career coffin. 

When you've been targeted that many times for off the field issues, you can barely afford to be caught with a single beer. 

The USA Today report cites Garcia's father as stating his son was released for "a couple of beers." When you have been suspended five times, Garcia needed to be completely sober at all times until he graduated. 

That is just the price he would have had to pay. The school reserves the right to run the program in the manner and with the personnel they deem worthy. 

They now believe that the future is better off without Garcia. If he did indeed fall back into drugs and alcohol, I would have to agree with their assessment.