The University of Florida has announced a self-imposed three-game suspension for head baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan to open the 2026 season, stemming from the coach's expletive-filled tirade over a game's start time during the 2025 Conway Regional in June.
The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee issued a public reprimand to Florida for O’Sullivan’s behavior and language direction at site officials prior to the game's start.
“The suspension announced today reinforces Florida Athletics’ commitment to our standards, with Coach O’Sullivan accepting full responsibility for his behavior,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin in a released statement, as reported by The Gainesville Sun. “Sully has vowed to learn from the experience and serve as a better leader moving forward.”
The committee determined during a meeting in late June that O'Sullivan's actions were misconduct per NCAA Bylaw 31.02.4. As defined in the bylaw, misconduct in an NCAA championship is "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 NCAA committee felt strongly that O'Sullivan did not exhibit good sportsmanship and his actions were unsportsmanlike.
Committee members noted that during the committee's administrative hearing with O'Sullivan, he took full responsibility for his actions and expressed a sincere apology to all individuals impacted by his behavior.
Related: Gators Baseball Coach Apologizes for Expletive-Filled Rant Aimed at Officials Over Game Start Time
The committee also noted that it accepts all the additional penalties being imposed on O'Sullivan by Florida, including the three-game suspension to start the 2026 regular season.
"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 Jay Artigues, chair of the Division I Baseball Committee and director of athletics at Southeastern Louisiana, according to the NCAA's announcement. "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."
