According to Game Cocks Online, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders has been dismissed from the team

“Weslye Saunders is no longer part of our football program,” said Hyman. “Beyond that I will have no further comment.”

Saunders, a 6-5, 270-pounder from Durham, N.C., had been suspended indefinitely since August 23 following a violation of team rules.

The NCAA is currently investigating whether or not a sports agent had been paying for a hotel room that Saunders had been living in recently. In reference to Saunders’ playing status for South Carolina’s opener, head coach Steve Spurrier said, “He’s not on the team. He won’t play Thursday.”

It appears now that Saunders’ South Carolina career is over and while it’s premature to predict his future in the NFL, his draft stock has surely plummeted over the last couple of weeks.

The NCAA is already looking into the trip tight end Weslye Saunders took this past spring to Miami and whether or not it was agent-funded, now it appears that more South Carolina players could be in trouble.

ESPN.com reports that several South Carolina players, including Saunders, were asked by school officials to move out of a Columbia hotel Thursday evening. The NCAA is now investigating if the players were in violation of any rules by staying at the hotel.

Last week, the NCAA interviewed a number of players about their occupation of the Whitney Hotel, where South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and other coaches have stayed in the past, The State (Columbia, S.C.) newspaper reported.

Spurrier said Thursday the players have been asked by the school to move out of the hotel, settle their bills and stay elsewhere.

“There’s been some issues,” Spurrier said on his radio call-in show. “We’ve encouraged our guys to move out of the Whitney, to pay their monthly bill and move out . . . Whatever their arrangements were, they need to pay up and move out.”

Spurrier said he knew there were players staying at the Whitney, but did not know of the details, The State reported.

Along with Saunders, the other players who have been linked to the hotel stay are defensive tackle Travian Robertson, defensive tackle Ladi Ajiboye, safety Akeem Auguste and offensive tackle Jarriel King. If the players were staying there on their own dime, there shouldn’t an issue. But if a player agent was picking up the tab, obviously this could become a distraction for Spurrier and the Gamecock program.

Either way, it’s not good that Saunders is being investigated for two different incidents. Just because he’s being investigated doesn’t mean he’s done anything wrong, but this isn’t a good situation regardless.