Florida has dismissed starting linebacker Brenton Cox from the team, head coach Billy Napier announced Monday.

Cox, a fifth-year senior who has started all 34 games the last three seasons for the Gators, was observed throwing punches late in Florida’s 42-20 loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday. However, Napier did not specify the exact nature of the violation that led to Cox’s departure.

“Brenton, we kind of decided to move on here,” Napier said, via 247 Sports. “I think that being a football player at the University of Florida is a privilege there are certainly expectations that come with that. Obviously, he has done a lot of good things for the University of Florida and we wish him nothing but the best but sometimes you have to make decisions in the best interest of the team. With Brenton, we’re certainly going to do everything in our power to help him.”

A former 5-star recruit out of the Atlanta area, Cox initially signed with Georgia and played in 13 of 14 games as a true freshman in 2018. He sat out after transferring to Florida the following season, but became a starter immediately when he was eligible to play in 2020.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Cox was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2020, when he totaled 41 tackles, 18 quarterback hurries, 9.5 tackles-for-loss and four sacks. He had another 41 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks (including a school-record four vs. Florida State) in 2022, then 35 tackles, eight TFLs and two sacks in eight games this season.

Florida (4-4 overall, 1-4 SEC) is at Texas A&M on Saturday.