Florida-LSU football game is postponed after the Gators' COVID-19 spike 'with 19 infections' as coach Dan Mullen apologizes for calling on the school to fill the stadium with 90,000 fans on Saturday

The University of Florida's upcoming football game against defending champion LSU has been postponed by the Southeastern Conference after a reported 19 Gators players tested positive for COVID-19. 

The game was tentatively rescheduled for December 12, the league's built-in bye week before its title game. It's the second SEC game bumped this week, following Missouri-Vanderbilt. 

On Tuesday the school suspended all football activities, blaming 'an increase in positive COVID tests among players.' According to The Associated Press, there have been 19 infections.  

The postponement comes after Florida coach Dan Mullen called on the University to allow a capacity crowd of 90,000 spectators for Saturday's game against the defending national champions. On Wednesday, however, Mullen apologized for the heavily criticized comment, saying he's sorry if he 'offended anyone.'

Following Florida football coach Dan Mullen's call to pack Saturday's home game against LSU with 90,000 fans, the Gators paused all team activities Tuesday as 19 players reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Mullen yells during a game against South Carolina

If Florida coach Dan Mullen had it his way, the Gators' cardboard fans would be replaced with live bodies for Saturday's game against the defending national champion LSU Tigers 

The shutdown came four days after Mullen's eyebrow-raising comments about wanting 90,000 fans at Florida Field (known as 'the Swamp') to create a better home-field advantage against the Tigers. 

To bolster his argument, Mullen cited Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's recent decision to re-open stadiums, restaurants, and other businesses at full capacity. 

'I know our governor passed that rule, so certainly, hopefully the university administration decides to let us pack the Swamp against LSU,' Mullen said Saturday. 'I certainly hope our university administration follows the governor. The governor has passed a rule that we're allowed to pack the Swamp and have 90,000 in the Swamp to give us the home-field advantage Texas A&M had today.'

University President W. Kent Fuchs did not agree to Mullen's suggestion, tweeting recently that the school is 'fully and firmly committed to following CDC guidelines,' which recommend social distancing.     

The Swamp in Gainesville, Florida pictured in 2019 at around its 90,000-spectator capacity

Gators tight end Kyle Pits celebrates a touchdown catch in front of a near-empty Swamp 

The SEC already postponed one game this week: Vanderbilt and Missouri was tentatively pushed to December 12 because COVID-19 issues have left the Commodores without enough players. 

It was the first SEC game rescheduled due to coronavirus-related problems and the 28th in the Football Bowl Subdivision to be postponed or canceled since August 26.

Mullen didn't double down on his comment Monday, but he didn't back down, either.

He brushed aside criticism and praised his players for how well they have handled COVID safety protocols.

'I think if you look at what we've been able to do, the safety precautions we have that our players have followed, our coaches follow, our staff follows, you know, I think we're a model of safety of what we've been doing during this time period,' Mullen said.

'So I'm really proud of how we've handled everything and how safe we've been with everything we're doing and all the precautions we've had in place during this time.'

Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork said the Aggies have reviewed contact tracing data deployed by the conference and found nothing yet.

'At this point, there has been no impact within our football program, but we will continue our regular testing regiment this week and stay diligent with all of our safety protocols,' Bjork said in a statement.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a collegiate athletics roundtable about fall sports at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility on the campus of Florida State University on August 11. DeSantis recently decided to re-open stadiums at full capacity

Florida reported five new COVID-19 positives earlier Tuesday, but those results stemmed from last week's tests. The Gators test student-athletes three times a week, with football players getting tested Sunday at noon as well as Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The Miami Dolphins have acknowledged that they're permitted to fill Hard Rock Stadium to full capacity, 65,000 fans, but are currently only allowing 13,000 spectators for home games due to the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, the state's COVID-19 death toll has surpassed more than 15,000 people as Florida health officials detected more than 2,500 new virus cases and local governments proceeded with reopening plans.

Health officials tallied 139 new deaths, while 2,128 patients are being treated in Florida hospitals for COVID-19, a slight decrease from Tuesday's figures. The health department figures do not represent casualties in a 24-hour period, and include deaths from several previous days.

Miami public schools continued to welcome children for physical instruction on Wednesday after more than a month of virtual learning.

DeSantis said shipments with hundreds of thousands of rapid test kits will help better detect the virus and protect those with underlying conditions.

According to data kept by the Associated Press, Florida's death toll from the virus is the fifth highest in the country overall and the 12th highest per capita at more than 69 deaths per 100,000 people.

A general view during the game between the Florida Gators and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Gainesville