March 1, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – Demetris Summers, the leading rusher on South Carolina’s football team over the past two seasons, has been dismissed from the squad for violation of athletics department policy.

“There are certain policies and rules that our student-athletes must follow and unfortunately, Demetris chose to violate those,” said USC head coach Steve Spurrier. “That’s where we are with this and we’ll move on from here.”

Summers, a 6-1, 205-pound rising junior from Lexington, S.C., rushed for 1,125 yards and four touchdowns the past two seasons, while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He had 23 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns over that time period. His career high rushing effort came in 2003, when he ran for 161 yards and three touchdowns against UAB. He also had a standout 158-yard rushing performance that season against Tennessee in Knoxville. Summers was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman squad in 2003.

Summers came to USC following a heralded prep career at Lexington High School, where he was named Parade All-America. He is the state of South Carolina’s all-time leading rusher with 9,076 career yards and also holds the state record for career touchdowns with 127. Tom Lemming’s recruiting service rated him the #1 running back prospect in the nation following his senior season.