On Wednesday, Florida Gators‘ quarterback Jalen Kitna (son of former NFL QB and current high school coach Jon Kitna) was arrested on child pornography charges. That led to a lot of media attention, some of it poorly-framed. It also led to Kitna eventually being released pending trial on an $80,000 bond. And now, it’s led to the Gators parting ways with Kitna, as per ESPN’s Pete Thamel:
A source confirms to ESPN that Jalen Kitna has been dismissed from the team at Florida.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 2, 2022
That’s a logical and not that surprising move from Florida. Charges of this sort are certainly not something you want to read about for a player tied to your program, and Kitna (seen above in a police mugshot, via TMZ) was only currently the team’s backup quarterback, behind Anthony Richardson. So it’s easier to part ways with him than if he was a more prominent player. But it’s still absolutely notable to see the Gators make that decision, and to see them do it just two days after the arrest. They had previously suspended him, but now they’ve outright dismissed him. (Note that this is discipline from the football team, which can dismiss anyone at any time, not discipline from the university, which comes with a more formal and drawn-out process.)
There’s still a lot that can play out in Kitna’s case. He’s been released into the custody of his parents, with his father speaking at his bond hearing Thursday. He’s been ordered not to use the internet and not to make contact with minors. And he’s facing five felony charges. But, for the moment at least, his career with the Gators is over, and his football career in general may be over.
[Pete Thamel on Twitter; photo from TMZ]