Six Florida football players are facing possible discipline after a Memorial Day confrontation which featured over 10 people holding items ranging from an airsoft rifle, frying pan, rock to a baseball bat. Police were called to the scene in front of a Florida University student housing complex after witnesses suspected something awry.
One of the members of the group opposing the players is alleged to have threatened the players in attendance by saying “come any closer, I’ll spray you.” Here are the details on the incident from Gator Sports.
According to the UPD report, seven UF players were involved in an altercation at Keys Residential Complex on the evening of May 28. Police were called to the scene after a witness reported seeing a suspicious person in the area. Upon arriving, the police report states officers saw more than 10 people arguing and holding “weapons that resemble assault rifles.”
The police report largely hinges on an account from an alleged gambler in the Gainesville area named Devante Zachery, 21, who told UPD he had a friendship with UF redshirt senior tight end C’yontai Lewis that Zachery described as a “good relationship” when “the football team was winning” but would turn sour when Florida lost. Zachery, also known as “Tay Bang”, would call Lewis and the team “garbage”, according to the report, and would complain about losing money after betting on UF football games.
The report states that on the night of May 28, Zachery and his friends waited for Lewis and several UF football players — including freshman quarterback Emory Jones, wide receivers Rick Wells, Kadarius Toney and Tyrie Cleveland, defensive tackle Kyree Campbell and tight end Kemore Gamble — at the Keys Residential Complex. Upon seeing Zachery, the football players left the scene and returned soon after holding what Zachery described as “some sort of assault rifle,” noting others were holding rocks and, in one case, a frying pan. A UF player later told UPD that a member of Zachery’s group held a baseball bat and threatened he would “spray” the players if they came any closer.
The police report indicates that freshman linebacker David Reese, in addition to defensive back Trey Dean, who is roommates with Jones, were interviewed by investigators after it was determined both, while uninvolved, were at Jones’ dorm room during the night of the incident. After returning to his residence hall from a trip to Atlanta, Dean said he noticed “several black males standing outside the building by their vehicles” and they asked Dean if he was a football player, to which he responded “no”. Dean said he could hear the males talking about Jones, leading him to ask Jones if the males outside were Jones’ family members. Dean told investigators he later “observed one of the individuals (with Zachery) with a gun so they all got low to the floor”.
While searching for evidence to corroborate the report, UPD officers didn’t find any bullets at the scene but did find the frying pan that “was seen on camera being used” by one of the football players, later identified as Lewis. Zachery later told UPD investigators that Lewis and Luke Ancrum where “the main culprits in the dispute”, a feud Zachery told investigators started as playful but soon escalated in February. Police determined Ancrum had no role in the altercation.
No criminal or weapon charges have been filed by the police. Head Coach Dan Mullen, entering his first full season for the Gators, released the following statement in response to the scathing report.
We were made aware of the incident when it occurred and immediately began following campus protocol,” the statement read. “This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is.”
According to the UPD report, seven UF players were involved in an altercation at Keys Residential Complex on the evening of May 28. Police were called to the scene after a witness reported seeing a suspicious person in the area. Upon arriving, the police report states officers saw more than 10 people arguing and holding “weapons that resemble assault rifles.