Florida coach Billy Napier, who has been under a lot of pressure, has clarified his earlier remarks about “some guy in his basement,” calling it a “terrible choice of words.”
Napier faced criticism for his comments made on Monday when he was asked about managing emotional reactions after a 41-17 defeat to then-No. 19 Miami two days before.
“We got to go to work on the football part,” Napier said at that time. “I think we got to become a more consistent team, and we have to execute better.
If we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better.”
His comments quickly spread on social media and became a news topic. “Obviously didn’t explain myself the way I should have there,” Napier said after practice on Wednesday.
“I want to make it very clear that … there was no reference to our fans. I was talking specifically about life in general. Our young people live in an era where social media is a part of their lives.”
Napier has faced growing frustration from Florida fans. His record stands at 11-15 in just over two seasons at Gainesville, including 2-10 against ranked teams and 1-8 against rivals like Miami, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee.
The Gators have now lost six straight games dating back to last season and dropped their first home opener since 1989.
Napier’s latest defeat was his worst at home. Miami scored on six of its first eight drives and led 38-10 midway through the third quarter. The game was so one-sided that many Florida fans began leaving early.
Now, Napier has the same number of home losses (five) as the legendary coach Steve Spurrier did in twelve years.
“When you play poorly like we did Saturday, there’s going to be criticism, and that is well deserved,” he said.
