Florida fraternity hangs banner encouraging administration to fire Billy Napier
Florida might be entering its Week 2 home matchup against Samford as significant favorites, but die-hard Gators fans aren’t getting any more quiet about their desire for the administration to part ways with third-year coach Billy Napier.
A photo that surfaced on social media ahead of Florida’s Saturday night game showed a banner with the words “SCARED MONEY DON’T MAKE MONEY #PAYTHEBUYOUT” hanging from a fraternity house in Gainesville.
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— Harrison (@Harrison954_) September 7, 2024
Firing Napier would not be cheap. According to multiple media reports, his buyout if fired now would cost Florida approximately $26.7 million.
Florida’s season isn’t off to a good start after the Gators were trounced by Miami at home in Week 1. Midway through the game it was clear the Gators weren’t even close to being able to compete with the Hurricanes and fans began flocking to social media calling for Napier’s job.
Napier unintentionally threw fuel on the already-smoldering fire during a press conference following the loss to Miami.
When explaining how his team can improve after the embarrassing Miami loss, the Gators’ coach took a shot at fans that have been criticizing him and the team.
“We got to go to work on the football part, we have to become a more consistent team and we have to execute better,” Napier said. “If we can focus on those things and not necessarily on what some guy in his basement in rural Central Florida is saying on social media, then we got a chance to get better.”
Florida is 11-15 overall and 6-10 in SEC play under Napier’s leadership.