'Grateful’ former Florida QB Jalen Kitna commits to UAB, Trent Dilfer
Former Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna has committed to UAB and is “grateful” for the opportunity to play for the Blazers and Trent Dilfer, according to ESPN.
Kitna committed to UAB nearly six months after being cleared of five felony counts of possession of child pornography.
He was ultimately charged with two second-degree misdemeanor counts of breach of the peace in July, as the felony charges were dropped. Kitna pleaded no contest to the two counts, receiving six months probation for each count.
Jalen Kitna is the son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna. He will now play for former NFL QB Trent Dilfer, who is the head coach at UAB. Dilfer and UAB Athletics Director Mark Ingram told ESPN in a statement that they did “extensive due diligence” on Jalen Kitna before accepting his commitment.
Jalen Kitna also released a statement to ESPN about committing to UAB and getting another chance.
“I acknowledge that I made naive decisions that I deeply regret and have since learned from,” Kitna told ESPN in a statement. “As a result, I took responsibility by pleading no-contest to second-degree misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges related to those decisions.
“I firmly believe that UAB is the perfect fit for me,” he said. “I consider myself fortunate to be in Birmingham, surrounded by an incredible support system, having found a church family, and being able to take advantage of the numerous resources offered by the university.”
Kitna told ESPN that he had multiple offers to play elsewhere, but he chose to play for the Blazers.
Jalen Kitna statement after being cleared of five felonies
Back in August, former Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna spoke out following the resolution of a case in which he was initially arrested on five felony counts of possession of child pornography.
Kitna was ultimately charged with two second-degree misdemeanor counts of breach of the peace in July, as the felony charges were dropped. Kitna pleaded no contest to the two counts, receiving six months probation for each count.
He was not fined or required to register as a sex offender, and the former Florida quarterback felt the need to clear the air in a statement provided to the Gainesville Sun.
“I had hoped this outcome would exonerate me and provide understanding,” Jalen Kitna said. “The reaction has been quite the opposite and created even more confusion with people making judgments based only on the initial reports, which didn’t tell the whole story.
“The misdemeanor plea of ‘no contest’ is not an admission of guilt and I was not adjudicated by the court, meaning there was no conviction. The police have returned all my devices, because they contain no illegal material.”