For the Florida Gators, describing October as an eventful month may be an understatement.
With a current record of 3-1 overall, the Gators experienced a bit of turbulence over the past weeks, keeping them in the public eye.
The increased attention on the Gators began soon after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Florida stadiums had approval to operate at full capacity. Although the university has since decided to continue to limit game day attendance, Dan Mullen, UF’s head football coach, faced backlash for comments he made about the stadium’s capacity following the team’s loss to Texas A&M.
The Gators’ 38-41 defeat against Texas A&M led Mullen to suggest in a press conference that the crowd there to support the opposing team aided the Auggies significantly.
In the press conference clip, Mullen said he hoped that the university would adjust the capacity, allowing them to “pack the Swamp.”
Mullen made this statement in reference to the highly anticipated game against Louisiana State University. However, soon after the game against Texas A&M, The Independent Florida Alligator reported that the team had 19 positive cases of COVID-19 Oct. 13.
The number grew to 25 cases as confirmed by the University Athletic Association. In addition to those on the team who tested positive for COVID-19, Mullen and two assistant coaches also contracted the virus.
Allison Hinaman, a 19-year-old biochemistry freshman, had the opportunity to attend two games in the stadium so far. She said she thought the news of many team members having COVID-19 was ironic in light of Mullen’s comments.
“I think it was maybe a little karma,” she said. “It was just a little reminder that we can’t pack the stadium because look, your players already have COVID.”
Mullen was quick to apologize for the previous statements he made in regard to increasing in-person attendance.
Because the Gators did not have 50 scholarship players to participate, the team was required to reschedule their next two games. The match against LSU, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 17, will now be played on Dec. 12.
UF’s game against the University of Missouri was also affected. The game was moved from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31.
When the Gators returned to football for their game against Mizzou, UF won 41-17. With that being said, the seemingly normal game took an unexpected turn.
At halftime, a fight broke out between both teams after quarterback Kyle Trask suffered a late hit. The scuffle included the majority of both teams.
Leading up to the fight, Mullen could be seen running onto the field. While some believed Mullen intended to start the brawl, he said he was trying to stop the fight before it happened.
Tara Garner, a 20-year-old political science sophomore, attended the game against Missouri. She said she was shocked when the fight broke out.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “I texted other family members that I knew were watching at home, and I said, ‘Oh my God, are you watching this?’”
While Hinaman missed seeing the fight in person, she said she also felt surprised.
“I couldn’t believe that all the players were out there on the field, and there was real fighting going on,” Hinaman said. “So, I mean it doesn’t really reflect that well on us that we get in fights and stuff, but I mean they started it.”
UF players Zachary Carter and Antwaun Powell were removed from the game. Missouri’s Tre Williams was also ejected.
Tensions remained high throughout halftime, but the game’s second half remained civil.
As punishment for the fight, the Southeastern Conference issued fines and suspensions on Nov. 2. Mullen received a $25,000 fine for his behavior.
In terms of the players, the SEC decided Carter and Powell will be unable to play during the first half of the match against the University of Georgia Saturday.
Three Missouri players will also be suspended for the first half of the university’s upcoming game against UGA Nov. 14.