NCAA Baseball: College World Series-Florida vs TCU
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Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin announced that baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan will serve a three-game suspension to open the 2026 season as punishment for the profane rant he unleashed on NCAA Tournament officials in June. The NCAA also issued on Friday a public reprimand to O'Sullivan for what it called "aggressive behavior and profanity-laced language" and said it accepts the self-imposed penalties Florida levied on its national championship-winning coach.

O'Sullivan will miss the Gators' Feb. 13-15 games against UAB during opening weekend. Next season will be his 19th with the program, which he guided to a College World Series title in 2017.

"The suspension announced today reinforces Florida Athletics' commitment to our standards, with Coach O'Sullivan accepting full responsibility for his behavior," Stricklin said. "Sully has vowed to learn from the experience and serve as a better leader moving forward."

The incident in question unfolded ahead of Florida's elimination game against Coastal Carolina in the 2025 Conway Regional. NCAA Tournament officials moved first pitch back an hour in an effort to give the Chanticleers more rest time after they played until about midnight the night prior. O'Sullivan took exception to the move and berated Coastal Carolina administrators, who served as NCAA site reps at their home regional.

The NCAA determined in a June meeting that O'Sullivan's actions violated an NCAA bylaw that defines misconduct in an NCAA championship as "any act of dishonesty, unsportsmanlike conduct, unprofessional behavior or breach of law, occurring from the time the championship field is announced through the end of the championship, that discredits the event or intercollegiate athletics."

The committee felt strongly that O'Sullivan did not exhibit good sportsmanship with actions it deemed unsportsmanlike. It did, however, note that O'Sullivan took full responsibility for his actions during his hearing and expressed a sincere apology.

"The highest level of integrity and sportsmanship is the core value of the NCAA and is expected to be upheld by student-athletes, coaches and administrators," said DI baseball committee chair Jay Artigues. "After a full review of the incident at the Conway regional, the committee came to this decision. I would like to commend the University of Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin for taking this matter seriously and handling it appropriately."

While he initially declined to comment on the matter, O'Sullivan later apologized for his pregame behavior. Stricklin also apologized and said O'Sullivan's actions "fell well short" of university expectations.

"Prior to yesterday's NCAA Tournament game against East Carolina, I let my emotions get the best of me and channeled that energy in a way I should not have," O'Sullivan said. "I want to sincerely apologize for my actions and behavior to the entire NCAA Regional field of Coastal Carolina, East Carolina and Fairfield, the NCAA -- including site representatives Rick French and Mark Scalf -- as well as all of Gator Nation.

"I did not represent the University of Florida to the appropriate standard yesterday and take full responsibility for that, and promise to learn from this experience and be better moving forward. I appreciate all of the tireless efforts on behalf of host Coastal Carolina, their Tournament Director Bryan Stiles, and the NCAA over the course of NCAA Regionals, and am sorry for allowing this instance to get in the way of an otherwise great weekend of postseason baseball."