Gators address 'unacceptable' spitting penalty on defensive lineman Brendan Bett: 'No place for that'

When asked to evaluate the talent within the Florida football program, head coach Billy Napier routinely highlights the personality traits of those within the locker room, stating the Gators have desirable character.

"I'm a firm believer that better people are better football players," Napier said ahead of the 2024 season.

In the fourth quarter of Saturday's 18-16 loss to USF, Florida received criticism for an out-of-character post-play decision that proved to be detrimental to the Gators' desire to avoid disappointment.

A week removed from receiving considerable praise for his debut with the Gators, UF defensive lineman Brendan Bett was ejected after appearing to spit on Bulls' offensive lineman Cole Skinner. The incident occurred with a little more than two minutes remaining, during USF's drive toward a game-winning field goal by Nico Gramatica.

The 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the redshirt sophomore gave the Bulls a fresh set of downs and advanced the ball to USF's 39-yard line, and it followed a defensive pass interference penalty, allowing the opposition to extend the decisive drive.

Immediately, criticism for Bett's decision was rampant, and it continued in the aftermath. On social media, comparisons were made to the NFL season-opening contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, when Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on quarterback Dak Prescott – given the highly publicized occurrence at the professional level less than 48 hours earlier, many fairly pointed out Bett should have known better.

As Napier detailed the team's latest disappointing defeat, its first in 2025 yet the latest in a line of undesirable outcomes during his time in Gainesville, the head coach stated he had yet to meet with Bett, the former Baylor transfer, though he noted the penalty was impermissible.

"I haven't had that conversation with him yet. We'll take a good look at it, but it's unacceptable. I think we've got a lot of players in that room as well that have the same belief that it's unacceptable," Napier said. "When a guy does something like that, he's compromising the team. He's putting himself before the team. Everything the game is about, you're compromising. So there will be lessons to be learned there. Yeah, it's that simple."

Those who had observed Bett in the immediate aftermath, however, realized the underclassman defensive lineman understood the gravity of his decision, though Bett's remorse would not solely be adequate. It was a decision which needed to be addressed, as Napier stated.

"There's no place for that as an individual and certainly representing the University of Florida. There's no place for that here," UF cornerback Devin Moore said. "This is a prestigious program, and that will be addressed for sure."

While many in the public took the stance the Gators should part ways with Bett as a result, a rash decision to dismiss the promising yet inexperienced defensive lineman could lead to further fracturing, an objective Florida is keen on avoiding ahead of an arduous slate of competition on the horizon.

Using the poor decision as a lesson is a more desirable route, according to sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway.

"Brendan, he's a heck of a player. He made a mistake there. That doesn't identify his character at all. He's such a nice guy, nice kid, nice person to have in the locker room," Lagway said. "He was in there crying and stuff like that, feeling bad, talking to the coaches, talking to the players, and apologizing for it.

We don't ever hold that against anybody. He's going to come prepared this week."

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