GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The backup quarterback for the Florida Gators was arrested Wednesday on counts of distribution of child exploitation material and possession of child porn, the Gainesville Police Department reports.
Jalen Kitna, who is the son of the former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, was taken into custody by police and eventually booked into jail at 3:20 p.m.
The 19-year-old football player was suspended indefinitely from the football program, ESPN reports.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna,” the University of Florida Athletic Association said in a statement to the media outlet. “These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior.”
It all started on Wednesday when members of the police department and the Internet Crime Against Children Division served a search warrant, the Gainesville Police Department explained on Facebook. The investigation first started when the agency received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tip reportedly indicated that a Discord user sent an image of child sexual abuse material through their platform. The police department said detectives were able to trace the account that was sending images back to Kitna.
According to police, the detective then reached out to the 19-year-old and interviewed him, with Kitna saying he “remembered sharing the two images..but believed them to be ‘legal’ since he found them online.”
“Kitna advised that he realized he should not have shared those two images, based on the reaction from the other Discord user that he shared them with,” the agency wrote on Facebook. “Kitna advised shortly after that, his Discord account was deactivated and that he assumed someone reported him to Discord.”
As part of the search warrant, Kitna’s electronic devices were taken from him which reportedly revealed three additional images of child sexual abuse material.
The teen was then arrested for two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.
“The Gainesville Police Department wants parents to be aware that children are solicited and exploited through social networking applications,” the agency said on Facebook. “Please be vigilant and aware of any social networking platforms your children may access.”
Jon Kitna played 14 seasons in the NFL with Seattle, Cincinnati, Detroit and Dallas. He started 124 games and now is a high school football coach in Burleson, Texas, just south of Fort Worth.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.