Stephen Garcia Dismissed from South Carolina Football by Spurrier

Stephen Garcia was dismissed from the South Carolina football team Tuesday in what became an interesting day for head coach Steve Spurrier and the program.

For Garcia, it ended an often turbulent career with the Gamecocks as their quarterback. A source told ESPN's Chris Low that Garcia tested positive for alcohol and marijuana, and Spurrier and the rest of the coaching staff had enough.

Athletic director Eric Hyman issued a statement saying that Garcia did not follow the guidelines he and the program established upon his return from suspension earlier this year.

We remind all of our student-athletes that there are consequences for their actions, Hyman said in the statement. 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.

Gary Garcia, Stephen's father, told The Tampa Tribune that Stephen was ousted because he drank a couple of beers. And then they decided to random alcohol test him, and that's what he failed. But he added that his son's dismissal was almost a relief.

Obviously, he's responsible for his own actions, which we've told him from the beginning, Gary Garcia said. The stuff he did in the beginning, he should've known better than that. He should've made better decisions. We understand that.

The move comes after Garcia was relegated to the sidelines last week for the second time this season, as Spurrier opted to start Connor Shaw. Garcia was leading the FBS with nine interceptions on the season.

We are all saddened that this has occurred, Spurrier said in a statement. 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 had been suspended five times prior to his ouster Tuesday -- twice just this spring. He was reinstated to the team just before the start of the season, but he won his starting job back upon reinstatement.