University of North Carolina head football coach Butch Davis has suspended senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin indefinitely for reasons unrelated to the NCAA's ongoing investigation.

"This decision is not a result of the ongoing NCAA review," says Davis. "Marvin has violated team rules and has neglected his responsibilities to the team."

The Tar Heels face LSU on Saturday.

Austin's trip to California to train during the summer of 2009 is under NCAA investigation.

Former UNC teammate Kentwan Balmer, a first-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers who now plays for the Seattle Seahawks, paid for Austin and another former Tar Heel defensive lineman, San Diego Chargers nose tackle Cam Thomas, to travel to and train at Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village, California.

That performance center is located near the offices of NFL player agent Gary Wichard, who represents Balmer and now Thomas, and is also believed to have a close relationship to UNC defensive line coach John Blake.