Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna has been arrested on charges of child pornography, according to multiple reports. Kitna, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, was booked into the Alachua County Jail on Wednesday at 3:20 pm. Later, CBS 4 in Gainesville reported that according to a police spokesperson, Kitna was arrested on charges related to child pornography.
According to TMZ, Kitna, 19, is facing two counts of distributing child exploitation material and three counts of possessing child pornography. Kitna, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, has also been suspended from the Gators' football program, following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
Dirty Mind
Kitna was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided a cyber alert to the Gainesville Police Department (NCMEC). The tip "indicated that a Discord user distributed an image of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through their platform," the police stated in a news release.
Further investigation revealed that the photo was shared on Kitna's Discord account. Investigators also found a second photo during their search.
"We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna. These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior. Jalen has been suspended indefinitely from the football program," the University of Florida Athletic Association said in a statement.
According to Kitna, he thought sharing the pictures with others was "legal" because he obtained them online. Three more photographs of child sex abuse were discovered when his devices were later searched.
Suspended Immediately
Kitna has been suspended from the Florida football team indefinitely. Additionally, Kitna is accused of telling authorities that his Discord account was terminated and that he received a warning email from the service for breaking its terms of service.
The police seized his computer devices after discovering three more child sex abuse images on them. He was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning, according to police.
Kitna, a redshirt freshman, played for the Gators in four games this year. He completed 10 of his 14 throws in 2022, resulting in 181 yards and a touchdown. According to the rankings of 247, he was a three-star recruit in the class of 2021 out of Burleson, Texas.
He was considered a candidate to start for Florida in their bowl game if starting quarterback Anthony Richardson sits out.
His father Jon Kitna played 15 years in the NFL for the Seahawks, Bengals, Lions, and Cowboys. Currently, he serves as the athletic director and head coach at Burleson High School in Burleson, Texas.
