Penn State quarterback Tom Bill, whose collegiate...

Penn State quarterback Tom Bill, whose collegiate career has been marred by injury and alcohol-related problems, has withdrawn from school to enter a rehabilitation clinic, Coach Joe Paterno said.

Bill began the 1989 season as the starting quarterback but was suspended by Paterno on Sept. 19, a day after a campus police officer cited the 21-year-old redshirt senior for public drunkenness.

In a letter by Bill, released by Penn State’s sports information office, the Flemington, N.J., native Bill said he was leaving school on his own accord. He said he planned to return to the team next fall. Because he is no longer enrolled as a student, Bill cannot take part in Penn State’s spring practice.

Bill, who started the first two games of the season, did not dress for the next two because of his “indefinite suspension.” The suspension was never formally lifted, but Bill returned to play a series of downs against Syracuse in the fifth game of the season.