GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Senior point guard Teddy Dupay, at the center of a gambling investigation at the University of Florida, was declared ineligible Friday.

Dupay "is no longer eligible to play basketball" for Florida, athletics director Jeremy Foley said in a statement.

	Teddy Dupay's days playing for Florida are over.

Foley said student confidentiality laws kept him from revealing specific reasons for the action.

Dupay, who read from a statement during a news conference Friday, admitted to violating NCAA rules regarding betting on sports. The NCAA mandates a one-year suspension for any student who solicits or accepts a bet involving college or pro sports. The NCAA, however, has not suspended Dupay.

Florida, instead, declared him ineligible for the upcoming season in a proactive measure.

"I understand that I have violated NCAA rules and I take full responsibility for those actions," Dupay said. "I put myself into situations that I should not have put myself in, and I'm paying the price for that.

Later, campus police released a statement saying they had sent to the state attorney's office results of an investigation they began April 5 "into allegations of minor gambling infractions by a University of Florida student."

State Attorney Bill Cervone had not received the information as of late Friday, although he said it was clear from the context that Dupay "has been involved with gambling himself, or with others who were."

"Coach Donovan told me that life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you respond to it. I'm thankful for my time here and am going to take September 7, 2001 as the beginning of the rest of my life."

Head coach Billy Donovan was visibly shaken by Dupay's dismissal, but understood the school's decision.

"It's very, very difficult for me because my relationship with Teddy started six years ago when I recruited him," Donovan said. "He's certainly paying a deep, deep price that he certaintly is going to remember. I'm going to miss not having him around.

"But I totally support and respect this decision. I think Jeremy and his staff looked at this very closely for a long period of time."

"I love Teddy," Donovan said. "There are people who do things wrong, but I will stand by him the rest of his life. I think he knows in his heart that I'm behind him. I'll miss not having him around, but our relationship will go on for a long, long time."

If there's a position where Florida can afford a loss, however, it's guard. Returning to next season's team are Orien Greene, Justin Hamilton, Brett Nelson and LaDarius Halton.

State Attorney Bill Cervone has said campus police are investigating allegations that Dupay was involved in some gambling activity, although police have not delivered the case to Cervone's office.

"We are saddened that Teddy will not be a member of the Gator program, but the fact of the matter is we had no choice but to come to this conclusion," Foley said.

Foley said the NCAA had been informed throughout the investigation and that the governing body determined it was an "individual eligibility issue, and not an institutional issue."

Cervone said Florida's athletic department could have acted on information it has without regard to the police investigation.

With the start of basketball season nearing, Florida officials were pressed to make a decision. If they didn't take action and Dupay was later found to have violated rules, the Gators might have had to forfeit games for using an ineligible player.

A 3-point specialist, Dupay averaged 13.4 points last season.

"The school has handled the situation with class and I would not expect anything less," Dupay said. "I do not feel sorry for myself that I cannot play my final season. As I close this chapter of my life, I will evaluate my opportunities and take a path that will lead to success."

Dupay has continually found himself in the center of controversy.

Last year, he was suspended for one game for violating team rules. The suspension came a few days after he criticized Florida fans for poor attendance at an early season game.

In the 2000 national title game against Michigan State, Dupay and Mateen Cleaves got tangled up on a play after the whistle had blown. Cleaves sprained his ankle, knocking him out of the game for several minutes.

Some saw it as a cheap shot, and Dupay earned a bad reputation as a result, in part because he didn't go out of his way to help Cleaves up.

Florida will let Dupay keep his scholarship if he chooses, although nobody is sure where he will go from here.

"It's every player's nightmare, to lose you senior season," Nelson said. "I'm sure it's tough on him. I know it would be tough on me."

Information from ESPN.com's Andy Katz, the Associated Press and SportsTicker were used in this report.