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GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: Jalen Kitna, a 19-year-old quarterback for the University of Florida was arrested on Wednesday, November 30, on five charges -- two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography, according to the Gainesville Police Department. The football team, Florida Gators, has also suspended Jalen, the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off officers, according to a news release from the Gainesville Police Department, that a user had posted a picture of child sexual abuse material on Discord. Police discovered two photographs of child sex abuse material sent through Discord from Kitna's house during their investigation, as per reported by ESPN News.
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Police claim Kitna told them he "remembered sharing the two images but believed them to be 'legal,' since he found them online," when they spoke with him at the house, as per TMZ. However, after sending the photographs, he admitted to authorities that he should not have done so after seeing the Discord user's response. According to police, when they investigated Kitna's electronic devices, they discovered three additional photographs of child sexual abuse. According to Kitna, his Discord account was then deactivated when he received an email from the messaging service notifying him that he had broken its rules of service.
The Gainesville Police Department arrested Kitna and booked him into the Alachua County prison at 3.20 pm ET. According to the GPD, he is scheduled to show up in court on Thursday, December 1, to face the accusations against him.
"We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna," the University of Florida Athletic Association said in a statement. "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior."
Who is Jalen Kitna?
Jalen, a highly regarded recruit from Burleson High School in Texas, has committed to the Gators for 2020. He redshirted after joining the club in 2021. He made his first appearance on the field this season against Eastern Washington in October. He's played in four UF games, with his best effort coming against EWU when he threw for 152 yards and a score. If Anthony Richardson, a highly coveted NFL draft prospect, opts out of the postseason contest, he might have started the team's bowl game later this year, as per reports from TMZ.
As for Jon Kitna, Jalen's father, he played for the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys throughout his career and was voted the 2003 Comeback Player of the Year. In 14 seasons, he threw for about 30,000 yards and 169 touchdowns.