Marcus Lattimore rushed for 38 touchdowns with the Gamecocks. (USATSI)

This will come as a huge shock, but the NCAA has made a decision that won't be popular.

The NCAA has ruled that former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore cannot be a paid member of Will Muschamp's Gamecocks non-coaching staff because he would provide the program with what the NCAA considers an unfair recruiting advantage. Lattimore runs the Marcus Lattimore Foundation, which speaks to players and runs camps. That, combined with his status as a former player, is what the NCAA believes would provide the edge.

Now to be clear, Lattimore can still be around the program, and he can still speak to the team. He just can't be an official member of the South Carolina staff and cannot be paid by the school.

So, in summation, Lattimore spent three seasons playing football for South Carolina. In those three seasons, he was not paid to rush for 2,677 yards and 38 touchdowns because that would be against NCAA regulations. Nor was Lattimore paid when he suffered a devastating knee injury at South Carolina that effectively destroyed his football-playing career. 

Now, after retiring from a very short NFL career, the NCAA has decided Lattimore can't be paid to advise the new South Carolina players who cannot be paid because that could give South Carolina an edge at finding new players that it cannot legally pay.

It all makes sense, right?