Florida Players Admit Placing Bets : Football: Starting and backup quarterbacks declared ineligible for gambling on other games. Two more out for other NCAA violations.

Florida quarterback Kyle Morris and backup Shane Matthews have been declared ineligible for the rest of the season for betting on football games, the university said Monday.

Morris and Matthews admitted placing bets on professional and college games between late August and Oct. 7--a violation of National Collegiate Athletic Assn. regulations, university spokeswoman Linda Gray said.

Two other players, Brady Ackerman, a walk-on receiver from Jacksonville, Fla., and G.A. Mangus, a walk-on quarterback from Atlanta, were declared ineligible for unspecified NCAA rules violations, the statement said.

Morris, of Clinton, Miss., and Matthews, of Pascagoula, Miss., did not wager on Florida games, and bet only small amounts of money, ranging from $25 to $100, from their personal funds, the statement said.

All four players will remain as students, the university said.

“It is unfortunate these young men became involved in this situation,” Athletic Director Bill Arnsparger said. “However, both young men wanted this information to be made public so that other student-athletes can be made aware of the seriousness of even casual, friendly bets for even small sums of money.”

The university, which reported the violations to the NCAA before announcing the suspensions, said the wagers in no way affected the players’ individual performance, Gray said.

Arnsparger stressed that Morris, Matthews and their families had cooperated fully in the matter and gave permission for the university to release information about the NCAA violations.

Because of the federal Buckley Amendment prohibiting release of confidential student information, the university cannot provide additional details about the rationale for the other two suspensions, Gray said.

While all four players remain suspended for the rest of the season, any further extension of ineligibility will be determined at a later date by the university in cooperation with the NCAA, Gray said.

Meanwhile, Gray told the Associated Press that basketball Coach Norm Sloan and his top assistants are not planning to resign, as had been rumored.

“This is not true,” Gray said. “No such plans are currently in effect.

“I have spoken to (interim Florida) President Robert Bryan and General Counsel Pamela Bernard, who said there are no imminent plans for changes in the basketball program. However, the basketball and football programs are still under investigation by both the school and the NCAA.”

The Gator football program was rocked Oct. 8 when Coach Galen Hall resigned amid allegations of NCAA violations.

In an unrelated case, offensive lineman Mark White of Pensacola has been charged with a team violation and suspended for one game, the school said. He will return for the Nov. 4 Auburn game.