Ad Disclosure
Florida coach Billy Napier is taking some heat on social media on Monday for an ill-advised comment he made about Florida fans — and their homes.
Napier, who was addressing reporters after UF’s blowout loss to Miami in Week 1, said the program has a chance to improve if it can ignore comments from social media that are coming from “some guy in his basement in rural central Florida.”
The remark was not only condescending to Florida fans who spend their time and money to watch and support the program, but it’s also factually-inaccurate. Florida homes don’t traditionally have basements because of their propensity to flood and other topographical factors.
That’s something that a Florida coach ought to know after spending enough time recruiting in the area, which was pointed out by Rodger Sherman:
Obviously not the #1 concern at Florida right now but apparently the head coach at Florida has not been in enough houses in Florida to realize houses in Florida don’t have basements. Actually maybe that has something to do with the other issues https://t.co/3UvglyiV5k
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 2, 2024
Sherman wasn’t the only one to notice Napier’s faux pas. Here’s some of the best of the reaction on social media:
me slandering billy napier in my rural central florida basement https://t.co/ILdehaeo3I pic.twitter.com/epdO9zgKBa
— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) September 2, 2024
Gator fans after hearing Billy Napier thinks there are basement in Florida: https://t.co/QJf5hBmi4N pic.twitter.com/Ebs2rFbIld
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) September 2, 2024
https://twitter.com/JaguarGator9NFL/status/1830680821805818234
Somebody please tell Billy Napier that there are no basements in rural central FL
— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) September 2, 2024
Billy is COOKED after the Rural Basement Comment pic.twitter.com/51WSWNTBEK
— #FIREBILLYNAPIER (@TheBestFanInUSA) September 2, 2024
The widest statement in this is that Billy Napier is talking about basements in Florida https://t.co/mdMTpYpBx5
— Seagull (@squid_sucker) September 2, 2024
Probably true.
Couple things.
As an ACR, I can tell you no one here has a basement. We’re too close to sea level.
Billy is as rural as the people here, so I doubt he meant that as a slight. https://t.co/gPBzeOphnY
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) September 2, 2024
I'm sorry, Billy just said he needs to ignore the troll in his basement tweeting from rural central Florida.
If you have a basement in Central Florida, it's not rural. Bad culture fit. Fired. 😂
— Joe Smith 🇺🇸 (@joe_b_smitty) September 2, 2024
1. If Napier thinks saying anything like this given the fanbase’s mood is a wise choice, he’s sorely mistaken. 2. UF should offer to change his buyout to half a million per basement he can find in rural central Florida, whether there’s a Gator fan on social media there or not. https://t.co/jyPQKwRDz9
— Heath Cline (@heathradio) September 2, 2024
Napier may get fired simply for believing that there is a single basement in central Florida https://t.co/gh7rXHWGfN
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) September 2, 2024
Antagonizing the fanbase should end well.
Btw Billy, we don't have basements in Florida. https://t.co/y1AaqHm1Kn
— T (@tdgator9) September 2, 2024
As a lifelong Floridian I think I speak for us all when I say.
1: we do not have basements in Florida.
2: you’re a cornball. https://t.co/Hhqwk4lzhb
— Steak F (@steaakfriend) September 2, 2024
Florida will host Samford in Week 2.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
