Florida coach comments on police incident involving players
By admin - 2018-12-15 02:59:50
University of Florida head football coach Dan Mullen is finally speaking out about six of his players being involved in an on-campus incident last month with police, for which the players could still face disciplinary action from the school.
According to Gator Sports, Mullen issued a statement after a police report of the incident surfaced on Wednesday.
“We were made aware of the incident when it occurred and immediately began following campus protocol,” the statement read. “This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is.”
Police in Gainesville say at least six UF football players were involved in an altercation at Keys Residential Complex on the evening of May 28. According to a report of the incident, police were called to the scene after a witness reported seeing a suspicious person in the area. Upon arriving, the police officers saw more than 10 people arguing and holding “weapons that resembled assault rifles”.
According to the report, an area resident named Devante Zachery, 21, became involved in a confrontation with several UF football players, including freshman quarterback Emory Jones, wide receivers Rick Wells, Kadarius Toney and Tyrie Cleveland, defensive tackle Kyree Campbell and tight end Kenmore Gamble.
At one point during the argument, according to the police report, the football players left the scene and returned soon after holding what witnesses described as “some sort of assault rifle,” while others were holding rocks and, in one case, a frying pan. A UF player later told police that a member of Zachery’s group held a baseball bat and threatened the players if they came any closer.
As a result of an investigation nearly eight weeks ago, no criminal charges were filed but all the players involved could still face disciplinary action from the university.