FROM THE DESK OF: There’s Plenty of Blame to Go Around at USC. BY: Taft Matney

As the walk-away music from “The Incredible Hulk” plays in the background, Stephen Garcia ambles slowly down the road, his outstretched thumb hoping for a sympathetic passer-by to give him a lift back home to Florida. “So long, Columbia,” his body language says in a dejected whisper.

You know, it’s easy to bash Garcia. He’s a kid who had more chances than reasonably expected, and he blew every one of them with explosions so bright, they looked like a 4th of July fireworks display.

Go big or go home. Right?

Well, now he’s done both, but is it really fair to cast all of the blame on him?

Think about it. He blew EVERY chance he got, but there were people giving him those chances. Suspensions were meaningless because by the time a suspension was imposed, it was lifted under the auspices of, “Stephen’s learned his lesson.”

No. The real reason those suspensions were lifted was that Carolina’s athletic officials felt Garcia had more to contribute. He was, no matter what his off-field conduct indicated, an asset. Yeah. He was a distraction, but his skills were needed, and that need overshadowed his behavior.

After all, over his career with the Gamecocks, Garcia:

• Led USC to its first SEC East Division title
• Had 47 touchdowns
• Became the third quarterback in school history to throw for more than 7,500 yards in a career
• Sits third at USC for all-time pass attempts, completions, and passing touchdowns
• Has the third most starts in school history at 34 (Todd Ellis had 43, and Steve Taneyhill had 40).

It was only after #5 didn’t have anything else to give that his misgivings became too much for the Gamecock athletic program to handle.

At least they waited for him to bury his grandfather before they booted him off the team.

Look, I’m not defending Garcia. His alleged love of excess cost him dearly. Many of his decisions were, in no other terms, just stupid. What about athletic director Eric Hyman or the Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier, though? Should they share any blame? Any at all?

It’s not their jobs to keep Garcia acting like a choir boy. That’s HIS job. That’s HIS personal responsibility, but if Hyman and Spurrier REALLY cared about this kid as much as they chest pounded in the media, wouldn’t they have tried to get him some help? At the very least, if he refused the help, shouldn’t they have kicked him off the squad THEN? After all, by most media accounts, he has a problem that’s only going to get worse without treatment.

Instead they waited until Garcia’s eligibility was almost up. There was no more gas left in the tank. That’s the point they chose to cut ties – when HE was no longer in a position to help THEM.

Like I said, I’m not saying Garcia’s actions should be defended, but at the same time, Hyman and Spurrier have been in a position for years to offer the kid some help and fix a problem with their football program.

I can’t stand disingenuous sentiment, the USC athletic department seems to have it coming out the wazoo.

Here’s hoping Garcia can eventually pull it together.

Taft Matney is the editor of CRESCENT: The Magazine.