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Florida's Phlandrous Fleming apologizes for celebrating Georgia win

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•01/11/22•

ZachAbolverdi

On3 image
Florida guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

You can take the dog out of Athens, but you can’t take Athens out of the dog.

Unfortunately for Florida guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr., that created a conflict of interest for him this week.

Fleming, a graduate transfer, is from Athens, Ga., and a lifelong fan of his hometown team — the Georgia Bulldogs. A few months as a UF basketball player doesn’t erase that fandom, of course, and UGA’s national championship victory Monday gave Fleming cause for celebration.

Unwisely, he did so on Instagram Live.

Fleming appeared in the video wearing a Georgia hoodie and said he was about to take a joy ride with fellow UF guard Myreon Jones, a Penn State transfer who played high school basketball at Lincoln Academy in Suwanee, Ga.

“Me and Myreon gon’ be riding down University (Ave.) blasting, ‘Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who?’ … I’m gonna be out the sunroof,” Fleming said in the live video, referencing the Grammy Award winning song by the Baha Men in 2000.

The blowback was immediate from Gator Nation, unhappy with a Florida athlete openly rooting for a rival school on social media. Some fans didn’t know he was from Athens, and others didn’t care.

Fleming took to Twitter on Tuesday night to apologize for coming across as disrespectful with his celebration.

“To Gator Nation, I apologize for the uproar that my actions have caused. I grew up in Athens my entire life rooting for Georgia Football, and last night was an overjoyed reaction to the ending of the game. I am very grateful for the opportunity that the University Of Florida granted me and I am totally committed to the Gators. Again I am deeply sorry to the fans, the school, and the athletic department for any disrespect that my words or celebration have caused,” Fleming wrote.

Fleming transferred to Florida from Charleston Southern, where he was a two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year and became one of two players in school history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocked shots.

Back in October, Fleming said he never expected to be a Gator.

“I did not, at all. I 100 percent did not think I would end up at the University of Florida,” said Fleming, who added that his family back home is willing to root for UF hoops. “Everyone was like, ‘We love Georgia football, but this year we’re not going to like Georgia basketball. We’re gonna stick with Florida basketball. You are the only reason I will put on a Florida basketball shirt.’ ”

Fleming is averaging 10.6 points this season for the Gators and scored a season-high 20 points against Stony Brook on Dec. 22.

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