Too soon to put long and eventful career at USC into context
Now that Stephen Garcia's career at South Carolina has come to a sad and — hindsight being 20-20 — rather predictable end, many have started wondering what his legacy will be.
That is a good question. But not one that can be answered right now, as it is not the appropriate time to do so.
There is no mistaking the fact Garcia brought this upon himself. For whatever reason, he never got out of his own way. You can say Steve Spurrier was too critical of Garcia publicly or blame USC for giving Garcia chance after chance without much in the way of significant discipline. But in the end, Garcia controlled his actions. And his actions led to his dismissal from the Gamecock football program.
I'm not a medical professional, so I'm in no position to say whether Garcia has a problem with alcohol or any other substance. I hope he doesn't, just as I would hope for any person, especially a father with a young son. If he does, I hope he gets the help he needs.
What I will say is that hopefully Garcia, no matter what the situation may be, can move on from this. It's good to hear from both his father Gary Garcia's comments to various outlets and the words of Garcia's former teammates that Garcia is taking responsibility for what happened. In fact, I wouldn't expect anything else.
In his dealings with the media, Garcia was truthful about what he was feeling, sometimes to a fault. He didn't sugarcoat things. He told reporters he was "pissed off" when USC lost at Georgia in 2009. He told reporters he didn't care if Clemson was looking ahead to the ACC title game later that season because the Gamecocks won and that was all that mattered to him. He told reporters that his fourth suspension "sucked" in the spring. And he told reporters, upon his reinstatement this summer, that things got a "little crazy" at the now infamous life skills seminar.
Garcia is not a bad person. In fact, he's a thoughtful, funny, intelligent kid. His teammates loved him. His coaches were immensely frustrated with him at times, sure, but I think they had a great deal of affection for him as well. Garcia was a gamer and consummate teammate on the field. It was just off the field that he couldn't meet with the success necessary to be a USC student-athlete. I believe Garcia wanted to do the right things, but he just kept getting himself into poor situations.
Again, Garcia's fault, and his alone. But all the bad isn't necessarily his legacy. Forget football for a moment. Garcia is 23 years old. His life is ahead of him. He undoubtedly has things to work on. But these turbulent days here at USC don't have to define him. What he does from this day going forward will.
When Garcia was benched prior to the Kentucky game, I said it wasn't the last chapter of his career at USC. But I don't think this dismissal will be the last chapter either. For all his faults, Garcia beat Clemson twice. He led the upset of the No. 1 team in the nation. He brought the Gamecocks to the SEC Championship Game. He was an integral part of some of the football program's greatest achievements. That will always be fact, and that will always combine with his various indiscretions to form a complete story.
Time heals all wounds. If Stephen Garcia can turn this negative into a positive in his life, someday he will return to Williams-Brice Stadium. And those in attendance will cheer, remembering what he accomplished on the field rather than what he ran into off it.
Until then, or until that is proven impossible, the jury will remain out on Garcia's legacy.