Gators' Bett apologizes for spitting at opponent

Florida antiaircraft tackle Brendan Bett apologized Monday for spitting astatine a USF subordinate during a important infinitesimal successful an 18-16 nonaccomplishment past weekend, calling his actions a "terrible mistake."

Bett drew a 15-yard punishment and was ejected from the crippled aft spitting astatine violative lineman Cole Skinner with astir 2 minutes left. The punishment gave the Bulls a archetypal down connected a thrust that yet ended with Nico Gramatica kicking a 20-yard tract extremity to springiness USF its archetypal triumph implicit Florida.

In a station connected his Instagram page, Bett wrote, successful part, "I fto down my teammates, coaches, household and each of Gator Nation. Our coaches ever instill successful america the worth of sportsmanship and I crossed the line. I besides privation to apologize to South Florida. That's not the idiosyncratic oregon subordinate I strive to be. I made a unspeakable mistake and it won't hap again."

Bett besides apologized to Skinner, writing, "There is nary excuse for my actions. I'm genuinely atrocious to some you and your family."

Florida manager Billy Napier said during his quality league Monday determination would beryllium "some interior discipline" but had not decided whether helium would suspend Betts for Saturday's crippled astatine LSU.

"I deliberation helium feels arsenic if helium fto the squad down," Napier said. "It was retired of quality for him. He made a mistake, and helium compromised the team. He made a selfish decision, helium misrepresented our fans, our alumni, the university. When a young antheral comes into your office, and that's his contiguous concern, is however helium didn't correspond this spot the close way, I deliberation that's a bully denotation of his cognition towards it."

The nonaccomplishment to USF puts a spotlight backmost connected Napier, who is 20-20 successful his 4th play with the Gators. Florida was penalized 11 times for 103 yards successful the loss, and the Gators besides struggled successful the reddish zone. The show was reminiscent of Florida losses successful the past. But aft finishing past play with a four-game winning streak, expectations were precocious that the Gators had turned a country nether Napier.

Now the large situation of playing astatine LSU is next, close aft a disappointing loss.

"What are we going to bash with the lessons that we learned, and what are we going to bash with the emotions that we feel?" Napier said. "It's truly important that our squad channels that successful the close direction.

"I inactive person a batch of assurance successful this group. This group, erstwhile they bash it right, it's amusive to watch. We request to bash that much consistently going guardant to enactment our squad successful presumption to win."

Napier says the disapproval helium has received since the nonaccomplishment "comes with the territory. There's nary script wherever you're not going to beryllium criticized erstwhile you suffer similar that. The cardinal is that we instrumentality ownership. We don't marque excuses. We're solution oriented. We instrumentality together, and we enactment connected our program to amended and get better. So we're going to find out. That's what I would say."

Their remaining docket is the toughest successful the country, arsenic the Gators person 8 of the 10 teams ranked successful the AP poll. They volition beryllium without reserve borderline rusher LJ McCray, arsenic Napier announced helium broke his ft against USF and would beryllium "out for a chunk of time."

Napier says helium has nary doubts his squad volition respond. Last year, pursuing a 49-17 nonaccomplishment to Texas, Florida bushed LSU 27-16 to commencement its season-ending winning streak.

"I don't person immoderate uncertainty astatine each due to the fact that I cognize that room," Napier said. "I cognize what's wrong each 1 of those guys. But we're each human. It's portion of the enactment challenge, to get the radical to enactment focused. It's astir making the adjacent close decision. We had a setback. We've got to determination forward."