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Georgia redshirt junior offensive tackle Kolton Houston was granted reinstatement by the NCAA on Thursday after more than three years under suspension.

Houston was ruled ineligible after enrolling early in January 2010 following a routine NCAA drug test that detected a banned substance. The substance later was determined to have been medically administered after Houston underwent shoulder surgery while he was attending Buford (Ga.) High School.

Following multiple failed attempts, the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder finally met the exit threshold after his most recent NCAA drug screening.

"This has been a long and very complex case, and we have tried to be advocates for Kolton throughout this three-year process," Georgia director of sports medicine Ron Courson said. "There are a number of medical professionals who played key roles in this appeal, from physicians to pharmacists to biomedical researchers to drug toxicologists. This was truly a team effort."

Said Houston: "I had almost reached the point where I thought this situation would never end. When I got the call, I broke down and cried for about 30 minutes. I had that much emotion stored up, and it felt good to get it out. I'm ready now to show what I can do."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.