The University of South Carolina announced on Friday that freshman wide receiver Damiere Byrd has been cleared to play in Saturday's game against Auburn, according to the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff.
“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for Damiere,” said Athletics Director 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 was not allowed to compete in the first four games of the season, after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA due to his involvement with the Student Athlete Mentoring (SAM) Foundation.
The SAM Foundation is a Delaware-based organization that provides underprivileged, inner-city athletes with help in getting scholarship offers and meeting academic eligibility requirements.
The Gamecocks (4-0, 2-0 SEC) will host the Tigers (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
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