Florida players react to Brenton Cox Jr.'s dismissal from the team
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Florida coach Billy Napier confirmed on Monday the dismissal of starting outside linebacker Brenton Cox Jr., which was first reported by Gators Online.
While Napier didn’t offer specifics that led to the decision, he said it was “more of a cumulative effect” rather than a single incident.
“These are hard things, right? So, I think we’ll just keep all that in house,” Napier said. “I think that we want to do what we can do to help Brenton going forward, but I think it’s a healthy thing for our team. The important thing to understand here is we make every decision in the best interests of the team.”
Cox released a statement Monday night saying his dismissal is “truly a shock” and added that sometimes his competitive spirit gets misconstrued.
Florida starting cornerback Jaydon Hill shared his reaction to the news during media his availability Monday.
“It definitely sends a strong message throughout the locker room,” Hill said of Cox. “That’s my guy. I’m still rooting for B to this day.
“It kind of caught me off guard a little bit. I kind of found out when I got there. That’s Coach Napier’s decision, and I leave that up to Coach. We’ve just got to keep growing as a team and finish out strong.”
UF starting right guard O’Cyrus Torrence also met with the media and said he couldn’t remember Napier dismissing a player when he was with him at Louisiana. He was also asked what kind of message the Cox decision sends to the team.
“Some things you just can’t put up with as a team, as a whole,” Torrence said. “We’re in this thing together, so some things you do just can’t be accepted.”
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In other Florida football news
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![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates with Florida Gators wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) after a touchdown during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/13155133/Untitled-design-65-2.png)
