Prior to the start of the season, South Carolina freshman wide receiver Damiere Byrd was slapped with a four-game suspension by the NCAA for accepting $2,700 in benefits from the Student Athlete Mentoring (S.A.M) Foundation during his recruitment.
Despite South Carolina’s attempt to have the NCAA’s ruling reduced, Byrd was required to sit all four games. Today, that suspension has been lifted as the school announced today that Byrd has been cleared to play tomorrow against Auburn.
“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for Damiere,” said South Carolina AD Eric Hyman. “Our folks in the department worked tirelessly to address the issues they encountered with Damiere’s situation. With the NCAA’s cooperation, we were able to resolve the issues in a timely manner that will allow him to play on Saturday.”
Byrd’s father, Adrian Byrd, is director of the S.A.M. New Jersey chapter and South Carolina grad, Kevin Lahn, is the program’s chapter.
Lahn was mentioned in the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations handed to South Carolina earlier this month for his involvement in making improper contact and providing impermissible benefits to recruits.