Former Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna entered into a plea deal this week that will charge him with two second-degree misdemeanors stemming from child pornography allegations.
Five felony child pornography charges were dropped as part of a deal that resulted in him pleading no contest to two misdemeanor counts of breach of the peace.
More from the Orlando Sentinel:
“The two second-degree misdemeanors each carry a maximum sentence of 60 days in jail and $500 fine. Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Susan Miller-Jones placed Kitna on six months probation for each count but did not levy a fine.”
Back in November 2022, the Gainesville Police Department found that Kitna shared two images on Discord that he believed to be legal. Kitna’s electronic devices were seized as part of a search warrant where investigators found three more images that could be “problematic.” Following a deeper search, they would ultimately find nothing else.
Kitna is the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, who now serves as the coach of Lakota East High School in Cincinnati.
Kitna issued a statement after the decision was handed down.
“I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends, and those that care about me,” he said. “Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them.
“The valuable lessons that I’ve learned through this whole deal have been very helpful. I’m looking forward to applying those things and moving forward.”
Kitna was removed from the Gators program in December 2022 following his arrest. In addition to being dismissed from the team, Kitna is banned from the University of Florida campus until November 2025.
He appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman for the Gators in 2022, serving as the primary backup to Anthony Richardson. For the season, he was 10-of-18 passing for 181 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
