Despite an ongoing coronavirus pandemic impacting states across the U.S., a number of college football programs have allowed fans to attend games at a limited capacity. And even those reduced-capacity games have shown crowds that ignored social-distancing and mask guidelines.
Those scenes from Georgia, Ole Miss and the Cotton Bowl Stadium have raised serious questions about schools valuing ticket sales over public health by holding potential super-spreading events. But still, no Power 5 school has opened a stadium at full capacity. That would be madness.
Well, Florida head coach Dan Mullen would like that to change as he revealed how little he actually cares about the Florida fanbase.
#Florida head coach Dan Mullen said the Texas A&M crowd played a "major factor" in the Gators loss.
Mullen wants a packed house at The Swamp next week vs. LSU: "So I certainly hope our university administration follows the governor." #GoGators pic.twitter.com/rlXLGBu1mq
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) October 11, 2020
Florida lost Saturday’s game at Texas A&M, 41-38, on a last-second field goal. Kyle Field was open at a reduced capacity of 25 percent, and Mullen somewhat blamed that limited crowd for the loss. As a result, he wanted to see Florida open Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at a full 90,000-fan capacity for the upcoming game against LSU.
His reasoning was that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lifted capacity restrictions, so it was all OK.
It isn’t, though.
DeSantis has largely operated in opposition of science and public health during this pandemic, and that mismanagement has resulted in Florida seeing 5,570 new coronavirus cases reported on Sunday and 34,000 cases the past two weeks.
With 90,000 fans, there’s no way social distancing and masks could be enforced. It would be another Atalanta-Valencia disaster waiting to happen, and Mullen knows that. He just doesn’t care.
He would gladly endanger fans if it gives him a better chance to win.
