Florida
UCF collective pokes fun at Napier’s postgame comments with ‘rural Central Florida’ shirts
Fresh off the Florida Gators’ 41-17 defeat to the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1, Gators coach Billy Napier drew further scrutiny Saturday afternoon when he mentioned “rural central Florida” in his postgame news conference. Now, one of Florida’s in-state rivals is taking advantage of the gaffe.
On Tuesday morning, UCF’s The Kingdom collective released a t-shirt with the words “RURAL CENTRAL FLORIDA” printed across the front. Launched in 2022, The Kingdom is the official NIL collective of UCF athletics. It will sell the shirts for $25 each with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the program’s NIL fund.
We like the rural part of Central Florida🤷 https://t.co/dqD3hNi9sH https://t.co/MXUuDA1vbU pic.twitter.com/xcgnxpXA5x
— The Kingdom NIL (@KingdomNIL) September 3, 2024
The apparel arrives as a direct dig at Napier’s postgame comments following Saturday’s loss.
With Napier under pressure in his third season at Florida, the Gators opened with a dismal Week 1 performance, fading after halftime and gaining just 261 yards of total offense in the 24-point defeat to the in-state rival Hurricanes. Speaking to reporters afterward, Napier made a pointed regional reference as part of a longer answer focused on the importance of ignoring outside noise and flushing the emotions of the season-opening beat down.
“One thing I can say is that we have a group that’s working hard,” Napier said. “I do think that we have character. We have to go to work on the football part. And I think we have 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.”
Napier’s comments — and the t-shirts they prompted — are sure to return to the surface again next month when UCF visits Florida on Oct. 5. In the meantime, Florida hosts the Samford Bulldogs at 7 p.m. ET in Week 2, while UCF gets a visit from the Sam Houston State Bearkats Saturday evening (6:30 p.m. ET).
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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