Florida Gators HC Dan Mullen Tests Positive for COVID-19
The latest to test positive for COVID-19 during the outbreak across the Florida Gators football team is head coach Dan Mullen, who tweeted his diagnosis on Saturday afternoon.
"Thankfully, everyone impacted is recovering well and has experienced mild to no symptoms," Mullen wrote of the program in a note. "I have also tested positive for COVID and have received word that my test has been confirmed. I'm continuing to self-isolate from my family, who all remain healthy, and am following all the guidelines set forth by UF Health, the CDC and our public health officials."
Florida paused all football-related activities on Tuesday and postponed its next two home games, against LSU and Missouri, over the course of the past week due to the outbreak. Some players began reporting symptoms on Sunday, although Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said on Wednesday that a few also came forward admitting to having symptoms before the Texas A&M trip, but went unreported.
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In total, according to Stricklin, 21 football players - 18 scholarship athletes and three walk-ons - and two assistant coaches had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday. Other than Mullen's case, the university has not added any cases to that count publicly but is expected to release a testing update on Tuesday.
Despite canceling a Monday morning meeting out of precaution, Florida proceeded to practice as a team on Monday night.
Florida is next scheduled to face Missouri at home on Oct. 31 after the game was postponed from Oct. 24, marking two weeks to the day of Mullen's announcement.
It is unknown which two assistant coaches tested positive and whether or not they are long-standing members of Mullen's staff. In August, Mullen discussed the possibility of missing games amid the pandemic and if he had a plan for an assistant coach to step up.
"Oh you know it would it would depend on the situation," said Mullen. "You know, I mean, if you ever followed me through the years I've missed certain things. I wasn't at practice one day when my daughter was born. [Assistant Athletics Director of Football Operations Jon] Clark took that one over. [Running backs coach] Greg Knox has taken over for me at times, so it would depend on the situation.
"If I'm gone for a couple of weeks I have a plan but I don’t go into because then I jinx myself. It’ll be more exciting for your guys to find out when it happens."
There's still a long enough window for Mullen to recover and coach on Oct. 31, but like anything COVID-19 related, especially in sports, the situation will be fluid and worth monitoring.
