Gators stand by protocol after game postponement
Florida AD says fewer than 50 scholarship players would have been available vs LSU
GAINESVILLE — UF athletics director Scott St rick lin stands by the Gators’ C OVID19 safety protocols despite an outbreak that postponed Saturday’s game against LSU.
The football program’s decision to suspend team activities, he said, are a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant and report symptoms associated with the highly transmissible virus.
“There’s a sense of frustration, but we understand this virus can sneak up on you and you can have it spread in… the bat of an eyelash,” Stricklin said Wednesday. “That’s what we’re seeing right now.”
Stricklin said the Gators would have had fewer than 50 scholarship players available for their home game against the Tigers, now tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12.
Eighteen scholarship players and three walk-ons have tested positive since Saturday’s loss at Texas A&M. Those infected, plus players in quarantine due to contact tracing and a handful nursing injuries, would have left UF with fewer than the 53 scholarship players the SEC requires to field a team.
UF’s medical staff has not pinpointed the exact origin of the Gators’ outbreak but surmised it began with a couple of players —one experiencing congestion and another a headache late last week. Suspecting an allergy or seasonal cold, neither reported the symptoms before the team traveled during theweekend to Texas A&M for the game.
“In a COVID environment, it’s so important
that we are hyper sensitive to being diligent on that front ,” St rick lin said .“I don’t
know that this was a situation where someone goes, ‘I don’t feel well, but I’m going to power through it .’ I think this is a situation where someone felt like, ‘I’ve got a sniffle. I need a Kleenex, and I’m ready to play a game.’ ”
The school’s football team had experienced limited COVID-19 cases prior to the recent outbreak, reporting one positive test result during the previous twoweeks.
Coach Dan Mullen praised his team’s discipline dealing with the virus Monday when he defended his call for fans “to pack the Swamp” against LSU following the Gators’ narrow loss to the Aggies last Saturday.
Mullen said Wednesday he regretted his comments and respects the guidelines of the CDC and local health officials. UF allowed around 20% capacity for the Oct. 3 home opener against South Carolina, drawing an announced crowd of 15,120 in the 88,548-seat stadium.
“I certainly apologize if I offended people or anybody out there,” Mullen said.
Stricklin said Mullen probably should stick to football topics in the future.
“Coaches sometimes say things that are outside their area of expertise, and they’re really good at what they do,” Stricklin said. “Danis really good at calling ball plays.”
Mullen also shared Wednesday two assistant coaches tested positive for COVID-19, but they are not reporting any symptoms. Mullen said he has not tested positive for the virus.
Stricklin, who contracted the virus in the spring, said players, coaches and support staff who tested positive have shown at most mild symptoms.
“That’s obviously a positive rightnow,” Stricklin said. “Hopefully they will continue to not havemore severe symptoms.”
Rather than rebound fromthe Texas A&Mloss, the Gators’ top priority is to receive a clean bill of health. Since Sunday, medical staff has tested everyone in the football program daily and will continue to do so until there are no more COVID-19 cases.
“Hopefully we don’t have any more positives and we’re able to get on the other side of this and then we can get everyone back in a situation where you can go compete again,” Stricklin said.
He said once the Gators outbreak is behind them, the focus has to be on preventing another one.
“It’s really important that everyone remains diligent,” he said. “You can’t take your foot off the gas, soto speak, as far asd oing all the things that we’re being asked to do, from social distancing tom asking and good hygiene. All those kind of things.
“It can sneak up on you on a hurry, as I said.”
Stricklin declined to speculate on the possibility of the outbreak impacting next weekend’s game against Missouri but said the schools would remainin contact. The Tigers’ home game Saturday with Vanderbilt was called off due to Commodores’ lack of scholarship players.
The UF-LSU and Missouri-Vanderbilt games are the first to be postponed in the SEC. Later Wednedsay, Alabama announced veteran coach Nick Saban and athletics director Greg Byrne tested positive for COVID-19. Saba ni st he fourth Football Bowl Subdivision coach in the country to test positive for COVID-19.
The virus has prompted schools and conferences to postpone nearly 30 college football games and forced many teams to compete without key players.
The SEC in August adjusted to a 10-game conference-only schedule with two bye weeks in order to provide flexibility for schools impacted by COVID-19.