Jason Williams said he will only return to the University of Florida campus if his daughter Mia Williams plays there again, a line that follows a tense Gainesville Super Regional against Texas Tech and a stadium altercation he described as involving a fan thro
Jason Williams walked into the conversation already braced for another round of emotion. On Tuesday, the former NBA guard said he has no plans to step onto the University of Florida campus—unless one specific condition is met: his daughter plays softball there again.
“The only time I’ll step on Gainesville’s campus again is if my daughter plays softball there again. ” Williams said on Barstool Sports’ “Wake Up Barstool.” He played for the Gators in 1997–98 under Billy Donovan. and his comments landed in the middle of a fresh national cycle around the Gainesville Super Regional where his daughter. Mia Williams. and No. 11 Texas Tech advanced after a tense, emotionally charged series.
The setup matters because Mia Williams—who transferred from Florida to the Red Raiders this past offseason—was at the center of it all. In the best-of-three Gainesville Super Regional. she went 3-for-7 at the plate with two home runs. five RBIs and three runs scored. She was also hit by a pitch five times throughout the series.
Williams’ latest remarks weren’t abstract, either. He said he “was” a Florida legend when someone called him that on “Wake Up Barstool. ” and in a video posted on X on Tuesday—containing explicit language—he called himself a “Florida Gator.” In that video. Williams claimed a Florida fan threw “objects and (expletive) like that” at his daughter in the stands. He also said his family declined to press charges.
The allegations connect to what happened during the series. Williams had been escorted out of the stadium by campus police after an altercation with a Gators fan. Williams said the fan struck his daughter with a handheld fan while the family celebrated a hit from Mia Williams. The fan was ultimately ejected from the stadium instead.
There was also friction on the field. Speaking to the Gainesville Sun. Williams said Florida coach Tim Walton’s ejection from the game for arguing balls and strikes in the bottom was “premeditated. ” saying Walton didn’t have to shake hands after the game with his daughter. Williams pointed out Florida would go on to not shake hands with Texas Tech after the win.
“He got kicked out because he didn’t want to shake her hand,” the elder Williams told the Gainesville Sun.
The tone hardened further when the conversation turned to recruitment—specifically. the possibility of his younger daughter. Nina. being recruited by Florida. During a follow-up question from Barstool personality Dan Katz about whether Nina could end up with the Gators. Williams responded quickly. telling Katz. “whatever NIL money she got from the University of Florida. I’d ask you to double it. so she can stay the hell away from there. bro.”.
Even with Williams drawing a line around his own future visits, the series itself keeps moving forward in sports terms. Texas Tech will take on Mississippi State at noon ET on Thursday, May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
In the background of all this, the on-field production from Texas Tech continues to stack up. Mia Williams wasn’t the only weapon for the Red Raiders: the team’s second baseman is third on the roster in batting average (.435) and leads the team in home runs (24).
What Williams is trying to set—visit or no visit. handshake or no handshake. campus access or not—has already been shaped by a moment he described as personal and unignorable. The boundary he drew on Tuesday is less about sports etiquette than about what he says happened to his daughter and how he believes Florida handled the aftermath.
Jason Williams Florida softball University of Florida Gainesville Super Regional Texas Tech softball Tim Walton Mia Williams Nina Williams Barstool Sports NIL