Last November, Jalen Kitna – a former quarterback for the Florida Gators and the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna – was arrested and hit with five felony child pornography charges. But it looks like those charges have been dismissed as part of a plea deal.
On Wednesday, Jalen Kitna accepted a plea deal that resulted in the five felony child pornography charges being dropped as he instead pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, which are second-degree misdemeanors instead.
Following the decision, Jalen Kitna read a statement
“I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends and those that care about me,” Jalen Kitna said according to the Associated Press. “Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them.
“The valuable lessons that I’ve learned through this whole deal have been very helpful. I’m looking forward to applying those things and moving forward.”
The plea deal resulted in plenty of reactions from the football world, who were not happy about the light plea deal given the severity of the charges.
Having rich parents is a hell of a 'get out of jail free' card. https://t.co/5kLvEfRmCj
— TJ Pittinger (@TJ_Pittinger) July 5, 2023
That money talks https://t.co/U4kusoJknj
— 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗶™ 🏴☠️ (@TheSamerAli) July 5, 2023
Yikes. Gross https://t.co/Xk8KwoDyhp
— dylan (@alltimeworst) July 5, 2023
This is a legit new low and that’s saying something for Florida’s.
— Athens Steve (@rainy_steve) July 5, 2023
Misdemeanors?????
Nah, he needs to be under the prison https://t.co/ujTpJIsRPz
— Josh (@onlyonejj22) July 5, 2023
5 felony charges pleaded down to two misdemeanors is definitely something ….. it’s disgusting actually https://t.co/FXdn0jp8Au
— ainsley (@aiinsb) July 5, 2023
So we throw drug offenders in jail for decades. But getting caught with child pornography only gets you probation? That’s crazy smh https://t.co/nPmTbrJv6O
— Carolina Connect (@CarolinaConect) July 5, 2023
I thought DeSantis and Florida protected children https://t.co/IItfQZYb8i pic.twitter.com/5pOnsXZoLy
— kenny (@KenJaguars) July 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/JustB_510/status/1676679155977449475?s=20
Following the charges, Jalen Kitna has been dismissed from the Florida Gators football team and banned from stepping foot on the university’s campus until 2025.
