J.C. Jackson not enrolled at Florida, ‘unlikely’ to return to Gators football team

By Adam Silverstein
May 12, 2015

Updated on Wednesday at 12 p.m.

Florida Gators redshirt freshman cornerback J.C. Jackson, currently facing three charges of felony armed robbery, is “unlikely” to continue his football-playing career with the program, according to a Tuesday report from The Gainesville Sun‘s Robbie Andreu.

Head coach Jim McElwain announced Wednesday, three weeks after Jackson was released from jail on $150,000 bond following a plea of not guilty, that the player is no longer enrolled in school.

“He’s got a lot of things that he’s dealing with right now and right now he’s obviously dealing with those and trying to take care of certain things that he needs to,” McElwian said. “We’ll support him and help him do what he can do but right now he’s not enrolled in school and dealing with some things outside that are a lot bigger than the Florida Gators.”

This comes after he was allowed to finish his spring semester classes online.

OnlyGators.com contacted both of Jackson’s attorneys over the last week but neither would comment on his case, which is pending as Jackson awaits formal charges from the State Attorney’s Office.


One source told OnlyGators.com over the weekend that Jackson is displeased that the Gators already plan to be without him for the 2015 season despite not announcing any specific discipline, whether an indefinite suspension or dismissal from the program.

“He’s not on campus obviously,” head coach Jim McElwain said, according to the Orlando Sentinel‘s Edgar Thompson, during a Gator Gathering speaking engagement in late April. “At the end of the day, we’ve all got freedom of choice. We don’t have freedom of consequence. He’s got a lot of things to deal with right now. He’s got to get it taken care of.”

He continued: “It’s not something that’s reflective of who we are and what we’re all about as an organization. So he’s got a long row to hoe, and we’ll go from there.”

The Sun, citing sources, reports that “the likely scenario is Jackson will try to transfer to another school” even if charges against him are dropped by the state.

Jackson stands accused of arranging an armed robbery at an apartment complex; three victims were held at gun point while the assailants stole marijuana, $382 in cash and two video game consoles.

After the victims identified Jackson due to his status as a Florida football player, he turned himself into police. The victims were unable to identify the co-conspirators, who were at large as of late April.

4 Comments

  1. Walt2 says:

    Wow. The kid has a right to go where he wants but where’s the loyalty. The coaching staff didn’t kick him off the team.

    • senuod says:

      Definitely showing his immaturity if the quote about him being angry is true. It seemed to me like McElwain went out of his way NOT to immediately kick him off of the team, which, honestly, no one would have criticized him for doing so.

      He has every right to transfer. If he does, hopefully it’s to remove himself from any elements in his life that are influencing him to be in these wrong places at all of the wrong times.

  2. Ken (CA) says:

    3 charges of felony armed robbery and only “unlikely to return”? While I believe it I 100% likely he will be ultimately booted IF CONVICTED, it is nice to see that finally there is actually a return to constitutional values of “innocent until proven guilty” for a change.

    So much rush to judgement and PR nowadays, while it may not be great PR, it is the right thing to do

  3. Michael Jones says:

    Well, number 1, he, just like everybody else, has the right to have the charges proved against him. There is no “right” to kick him off of the team based just upon allegations. Imagine a world in which that was all it took? He is entitled to the same presumption of innocence that everyone else is afforded.

    But, number 2, if the other 2 came to that apt. with JC, even if they had an agenda that JC was not aware of, it is of great concern to me that they are still unidentified. If JC knows who they are and is protecting their identity, then I don’t want him playing for U.F. I don’t even want him on campus if that’s the truth.

    College is no place for thugs. It’s supposed to be a safe haven for students, not a hunting ground for criminals.

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