Gators football season paused after multiple players test positive for COVID-19, report
University of Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin put the Gators football season on pause on Tuesday after “an increase in positive COVID tests among players this week,” he said in a press release.
Multiple players tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness that’s caused a global pandemic, according to UF’s independent student newspaper, The Alligator.
I have received conflicting reports from sources close to the athletic department that that number is too high https://t.co/5zRrGVQdUz
— Payton Titus (@petitus25) October 13, 2020
“Out of an abundance of caution, team activities are paused as of Tuesday afternoon,” Stricklin said in his statement. “Head coach Dan Mullen has been in communication with football players and their parents, and I have had conversations with the Southeastern Conference office, last week’s opponent Texas A&M, and this week’s opponent LSU. These circumstances will be re-evaluated by UF Health and the athletic department’s sports medicine staff Wednesday.”
The Gators are scheduled to play host to LSU at 4 p.m. in Gainesville. UF is 2-1 this season, and is coming off a 41-38 loss at Texas A&M.
Following the loss to the Aggies, Gators coach Dan Mullen asked for 90,000 fans to pack Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this week, to keep in accordance with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allowing stadiums to run at full capacity under the state’s reopening guidelines in the face of COVID-19, according to The Associated Press.
