Florida starts practice with a few missing

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — Florida coach Dan Mullen had several players miss the team’s opening training camp practice Monday.

Mullen declined to provide names, but the Orlando Sentinel and Sports Illustrated reported that four players — receivers Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland and defensive end Zachary Carter — skipped the session.

“We had a couple guys not practice today, but we’ll see how that goes moving forward,” Mullen said during a Zoom call with reporters.

It’s unclear if the players’ absences were related to the coronavirus pandemic. Toney and Copeland expressed concerns earlier this month about playing amid a global health crisis. Toney wrote on Twitter that sitting out “might be the better decision.” Copeland responded that Toney might have the right idea and tweeted, “Health over football,” followed by a thumbs-up emoji.

Carter, meanwhile, has supported the #WeAreUnited campaign started by Pac-12 players earlier this month. His father, Frank Carter, told Rivals that his son has significant concerns.

“First of all, he’s my son and I support him,” Frank Carter told the recruiting website. “He told me he wants to play, but he just doesn’t feel safe right now. We’ve had a couple friends of the family who’ve passed away from the effects of COVID. Now some players in other conferences are having issues with their heart.

“I think all of that is kind of alarming to him. There’s really not enough research or data to give him information that can put his mind at ease, so he’s just taking the cautious route.”

Two hours after Mullen’s news conference, Grimes posted on Twitter, “Don’t believe everything you read.” He did not elaborate.

Florida is scheduled to open Sept. 26 at Mississippi, which is entering its first season under coach Lane Kiffin.

The Gators had 21 players test positive for COVID-19 since returning to campus in late May. They’ve had no positives or anyone quarantined because of exposure over the past four weeks.

Students start returning to campus this weekend.