Billy Napier on dismissed Jalen Kitna: 'It's a sad tragic event'
Billy Napier opened up on former Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna, who was dismissed from the team amid an arrest earlier this month regarding charges related to child pornography. Kitna was dismissed after reports of his release from Alachua County Jail on an $80,000 bond.
“I think it’s obviously a sad, tragic event for all the people involved here,” Napier said. “Really trying to help all the people involved. Obviously, Jalen is going to have to move forward.”
An investigation looking into Kitna began back in June. An IP address and a phone number were keys to determining his involvement. He was then arrested on Wednesday on the charges and, at that point, Florida had only announced an indefinite suspension in their statement.
Kitna, the son of former NFL starter Jon Kitna, was arrested on child pornography charges, according to TMZ. The Alachua County Sherriff’s Office listed him in their database after he was taken into custody on earlier this month.
TMZ reported he was booked on five separate charges. Those charges included two counts of distribution of child exploitation material, and three counts of possession of child pornography.
The Alachua Chronicle reported that the Gainesville Police Department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone in the area was using the online messaging service Discord to distribute an image of child sexual abuse.
The report states that Kitna’s electronic devices were seized after he told police two images he believed to be “legal” were shared from his account before it was deactivated. Kitna reportedly told police he found the images online.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna,” a statement from the Florida Gators read. “These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance of such behavior. Jalen has been suspended in definitely from the football program.”
The freshman quarterback appeared in three games for Florida this season. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 181 yards overall and a touchdown. With that said, Kitna’s career on the field is by all accounts over now as he prepares to move forward within this case.
Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report