Ad Disclosure
Florida basketball player, an Athens, Ga. native, apologizes for celebrating Georgia CFP victory
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Florida basketball guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. apparently caught some major heat for celebrating the success of another program’s football team.
Fleming, a former Charleston Southern standout, joined the Gators as a graduate transfer and has averaged 10.6 points while averaging 23.4 minutes in the 2021-22 season so far. Before his college career, he was a star at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Ga.
Naturally, growing up in Athens, Fleming was a Georgia fan. So when the Bulldogs won the football program’s 1st national championship since 1980, he couldn’t help but celebrate the success of his childhood team—all while wearing a Georgia hoodie and saying “Go Dawgs” at one point, too:
Good morning to everyone except #Gators basketball player Phlandrous Fleming, who roots for the Georgia Bulldogs for everyone to see. pic.twitter.com/hh83J03xKv
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) January 11, 2022
As you might imagine, that didn’t sit well with Florida fans. On Tuesday, Fleming took to Twitter to apologize.
“I apologize for the uproar that my actions have caused. I grew up in Athens my entire life rooting for Georgia football, and last night was an over joyed reaction to the ending of the game,” he wrote. “I am very grateful for the opportunity that the University of Florida granted me and I am totally committed to the Gators. Again I am deeply sorry to the fans, the school, and the athletic department for any disrespect that my words or celebration have caused.”
https://twitter.com/master_lan12/status/1481042934137077768?s=21
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
