C.J. Gish
UF quarterback Jalen Kitna was arrested Wednesday on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography.
UF released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying Kitna has been suspended from the football program.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna,” UF’s athletic department said in the statement. “These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior.”
According to a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) release, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Division served a search warrant at 2308 SW 38th Drive #6 after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The cyber tip indicated that a Discord user distributed an image of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through their platform.
The investigation revealed that two images were shared via Discord from the residence and that the probable Discord account holder was 19-year-old Kitna.
While being interviewed by a GPD detective, Kitna said he remembered sharing the two images (CSAM) but believed them to be legal, according to the release. Kitna said he realized he should not have shared those two images, based on the reaction from the other Discord user that he shared them with. Kitna said he received an email from Discord notifying him that his account was deactivated due to a violation of the terms of service.
GPD seized Kitna’s electronic devices as part of the search warrant and reported that a preliminary analysis of the devices revealed three additional images of child sexual abuse material. Kitna was arrested for two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.
Kitna is the son of former quarterback Jon Kitna, who played 14 years in the NFL. He is a redshirt freshman who made his college debut on Oct. 2 vs. Eastern Washington. Kitna is being held in the Alachua County Jail on no bond.