Florida backup quarterback Jalen Kitna was dismissed on Friday, and he is no longer a member of the football team.
Following his arrest on two counts of distributing child exploitation material and three counts of possessing child pornography on Wednesday, 19-year-old Kitna was given an indefinite suspension by the team.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the University Athletic Association stated, “We are startled and saddened to hear about the news surrounding Jalen Kitna. These charges are very serious and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior.”
Kitna was ordered to stay away from minors and the internet after being released from jail on a $80,000 bond on Thursday.
Jalen’s father Jon Kitna, a former NFL quarterback, and his wife Jennifer Kitna, were present in the courtroom.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided a cyber tip to the Gainesville Police Department, which led to the department discovering that two photographs were shared on the social instant messaging platform Discord.
The investigation led the police to Kitna’s house, where he confessed to sharing two pictures but claimed to have thought they were “legal” because he had seen them online.
According to the Associated Press, one of those pictures showed a man engaging in sexual activity with a young girl.
Kitna’s electronic devices were searched by the authorities, and “three additional photographs of child sexual assault material” were discovered.
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Kitna, a redshirt freshman who played for the Gators in four games in 2022, will be under the supervision of his parents in Burleso, Texas.