The South Carolina Gamecocks head coach has been suspended: Sad news..

Athletic director Eric Hyman stated that following Garcia’s sixth ban this past spring, certain guidelines were put in place, but the fifth-year senior did not follow them. According to the person who has firsthand knowledge of the circumstances, Garcia promised not to drink alcohol as part of his return deal, as reported to ESPN.com’s Low.

“Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right and we remind all of our student-athletes that there are consequences for their actions,” Hyman stated in a press release.

Garcia replied to The AP via text message on Tuesday, saying he was “shocked and completely flabbergasted to be honest” by the firing. Later in the week, he promised to have a comprehensive statement.

The quarterback’s inappropriate behavior during a life-skills class in April resulted in his suspension from all team activities. Just before football camp started in August of last year, he was completely reinstated after receiving conditional approval to work out with teammates in May.

Garcia had to follow a number of rules to maintain his position in the team, according to Hyman and coach Steve Spurrier.

“Unfortunately,” Hyman went on, Garcia “has not been able to abide by those guidelines and therefore forfeited his position on the roster.”

Since coming on campus in January 2007, Garcia has started 34 games for the Gamecocks, including four this season. Spurrier demoted him to second string behind junior Connor Shaw on October 3 due to his erratic play, and he missed last Saturday’s 54-3 rout of Kentucky.

When the Gamecocks play Mississippi State on Saturday, will Garcia be Shaw’s backup, as was questioned of Spurrier earlier on Tuesday.

Spurrier remarked, “We’ll see how all that plays out this week.”

Garcia left after about an hour.

The once-promising quarterback, who assisted the Gamecocks in winning the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division and was predicted to do so again this season, has been dismissed, capping a rocky stint.

The previous year, in the Gamecocks’ inaugural SEC title game, he passed for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns.

However, Garcia’s last season didn’t start off well. He was ineligible for spring ball for a week after breaking team rules at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. Garcia said at the time that it would be his final run-in with the law in South Carolina.

But less than two weeks later, he was suspended a fifth time and Spurrier suggested publicly that Garcia might choose to graduate — he earned his sociology degree in May — and transfer to another school for his final season.

However, Garcia promised to persevere, and Spurrier commended his commitment and changed outlook. Garcia seemed prepared to live up to South Carolina’s lofty expectations, having shaved his beard and chopped his hair to his taste.

Garcia told the media in August that he had only had a few conversations with the team doctors and had not attended any official counseling sessions since his suspension in the spring. In response to the question of whether he had an alcohol issue, Garcia said, “Negative, no.”

Spurrier started Shaw in South Carolina’s opening game against East Carolina, but Garcia didn’t let that stop him. He came off the bench to help the Gamecocks win 56–37.

But Garcia’s performance was not what it was the previous season. This fall, his completion percentage dropped from over 64 in 2010 to around 52. Just four touchdown throws and nine interceptions later, Spurrier benched him after South Carolina’s lone loss, 16-13 to Auburn, on October 1.