Former Mission Bay High School football star Dillon Baxter is no longer part of Southern California's football team.
USC coach Lane Kiffin wouldn’t explain the reason for Baxter's separation on Tuesday, but he did refuse to call it a suspension or a dismissal.
"There was no word in there (like) suspension," Kiffin said after Tuesday's practice, referring to the school's brief statement about Baxter.
Baxter is still enrolled at USC, and will focus on academics for the rest of the year, according to Kiffin.
"We're done talking about it. ... This is all about no distractions, so it's why we're not answering questions. We don't want our players or our coaches dealing with it. Our team has had great focus over the last couple of weeks on the road, and the last thing we want to do is get distracted," Kiffin said.
Baxter was among the nation's most coveted recruits two years ago out of high school in San Diego.
But Baxter's USC career has been rocky since his first training camp under Kiffin, when he was suspended for last year's season opener for undisclosed disciplinary problems.
