It was self sabotage in every sense. Billy Napier’s boys were ‘foaming at the mouth’ for the first true test vs. USF. But they got bulldozed by the Bulls. However, that was not supposed to be the case, had their defensive lineman, Brendan Bett, kept his cool. Bett was ejected for spitting on the Bulls’ offensive lineman Cole Skinner. On the gridiron, Napier’s program had to face dire consequences as they got handed a penalty. But off the field, rage started to flare up as fans dragged Bett through the mud. Finally, three days later, he came up with an apology. While Florida loyalists have Bett’s back, some fans want Napier to show this player the exit door.  

The Gators fell prey to bad timing. Both sidelines felt the weight of the moment with just 2:14 left on the clock. On first down, Alvon Isaac was swallowed up at the line by Michai Boireau and Jayden Woods, and it looked like Florida’s defense had done its job. That’s when chaos followed. Bett popped up from the pile, locked onto a USF lineman, and in a flash of poor judgment, spat directly at him. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike flag moved the Bulls to their own 39 and gave them new life. Kicker Nico Gramatica made the most of the opportunity and calmly drilled a 20-yarder to stun the Gators, 18–16.

Looks like Bett now wants to move away from his recent blunder and wants to start things afresh. And what’s the first step he needs to take? Walk on the path of asking forgiveness. On September 9, he posted his apology note on IG. A part of it read, “I want to sincerely apologize for my actions in the game this past Saturday. I let down my teammates, coaches, family and all of Gator Nation. Our coaches always instill in us the value of sportsmanship and I crossed the line. I also want to apologize to South Florida. That’s not the person or player I strive to be. I made a terrible mistake and it won’t happen again.”

Bett joined Florida after an academic dilemma during his second year at Baylor. He was placed on academic suspension after his grades came up 0.003% short of being eligible to play. Napier and co. accepted him with open arms. Florida defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who spent the 2020-22 seasons with the Bears, played a part in Bett’s recruitment to Baylor.  

Bett now wants to whitewash his image and is waiting for another chance. He wrote, “To Cole Skinner #56. There is no excuse for my actions. I’m truly sorry to both you and your family.” But what are other players and fans saying after he took accountability for his own actions? 

Florida Gators fans are divided over the Brendan Bett incident

Moving into the 2025 season, Napier’s program had two costly losses in the transfer portal. They lost defensive lineman D’Antre Robinson and defensive back Gregory Smith III. That’s when they counted on Bett as Robinson’s replacement. And some people still are trusting Bett to flip the Gators’ luck. “Love Brotha🤞🏾,” wrote Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks. Coming out of high school, Bett had offers from Colorado, Houston, Minnesota, Texas Tech, SMU, and Georgia State. 

However, a fan comes with no mercy for Bett. “He should never be allowed to play for Florida again,” wrote the Florida loyalist. Maybe what upset him is the fact that Napier is yet to take action on Bett. When asked about whether he will be sidelined during the LSU game, the head coach said he has yet to make a decision. However, he has promised some “internal discipline” action. 

Other than his own teammates, Florida alums are also coming to his defense. The former Gators’ defensive tackle Steven Harris wrote, “Major love, kid! I appreciate your passion let’s go!!”  Support continued to pour in. Gators Recruiting page commented, “Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you rebound 💯.” After all, before Bett made the blunder against the Bulls, he recorded three tackles, including one for loss, in the Gators’ season-opening win over LIU.

But yet then, fans demand a no-nonsense attitude from Napier’s players. As a fan did not mince his words and wrote, “Your right it wont happen again, say goodbye to the gators 😂 gator nation dont need spitters who cant make tackles.” Maybe they are upset with how Brendan Bett embarrassed the Gators and caused the team to pay $500k to USF to beat them.