Culliver, King held out of USC opener

COLUMBIA — After a day of waiting and negotiation with the NCAA, South Carolina learned minutes before tonight’s kickoff against Southern Miss that it would be without starting cornerback Chris Culliver and starting left tackle Jarriel King.

USC put out no official release about the players being held out, but one school official confirmed that neither Culliver nor King, a North Charleston native, would play because of an on-going NCAA investigation.

Coach Steve Spurrier said earlier this week that another player in the middle of the matter, senior tight end Weslye Saunders, would not play because an indefinite suspension for violating team rules.

King is one of 10 players that had been staying at The Whitney Hotel since May.

Players were being investigated as to whether they received improper benefits from the hotel.

The other players – defensive tackle Ladi Ajiboye, free safety Akeem Auguste, right guard Terrence Campbell, linebacker Josh Dickerson, defensive tackle Melvin Ingram, linebacker Rodney Paulk, defensive tackle Travian Robertson and cornerback C.C. Whitlock – were all allowed to play, but they were not necessarily cleared by the NCAA.

Culliver’s situation was not related to The Whitney, but rather it was some paperwork that had his status in doubt.

His name surfaced Thursday afternoon, along with freshman running back Marcus Lattimore, as players whose affairs were also being probed.

Lattimore was cleared early Thursday afternoon. The highly regarded back from Byrnes started the game in a two-back set.

The school decided Friday to keep all the in-limbo players listed above away from team activities. They did not stay with the team at its hotel.

They arrived at Williams-Brice Stadium a half-hour before the rest of the team. The players remained in something of a holding pattern until about an hour before kickoff.

That’s when South Carolina told everyone, except Culliver and King, to get ready to play.

King was around his teammates during warm-ups, encouraging them. He was one of the first players running out to the theme from “2001.”

Culliver was not on the Gamecocks’ sideline in the first half.

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For more information, check out Friday's edition of The Post and Courier.