Florida’s Meyer concerned about flu bug

By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer Sep 21, 1:53 pm EDT

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)—The Florida Gators got a round of flu shots Sunday, the latest precaution for a team fighting to stave off a major problem.

Running back Jeff Demps, tight end Aaron Hernandez and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham were isolated last week because of flulike symptoms. Coach Urban Meyer said receivers coach Billy Gonzales was sent home Monday because he was feeling ill and had a fever.

No player has had a confirmed case of swine flu, but Meyer did say he was concerned the virus could ravage his team.

“It is a panic level of proportion I’ve never seen before,” Meyer said Sunday, a day after his team’s 23-13 victory over Tennessee. “You hear about, I think, Wisconsin had 40 players. Ole Miss had 20 players. My wife, with her great insight, said, ‘Do you realize the swine flu and everything is hitting the Florida campus last week.’ My gosh.”

Meyer said team doctors and trainers were doing everything they could to prevent an outbreak. They have hand sanitizer and prevention checklists all around the training facility, and are telling players to stay hydrated and monitor their weight regularly.

“We’re trying the best we can, but it’s real,” Meyer said. “We go to the extremes. They get a separate dorm room for them. They get a separate hotel room for them. They put them right on whatever the flu stuff is. Our guys, our team doctors, they’re on it as fast as you can get on it.”

The regular flu shots were the latest course of action. They came about a week after one school official predicted that as many as 40 percent of students could catch swine flu.

“We knew it was hitting Gainesville,” senior receiver David Nelson said Sunday. “Not just the football team, but throughout the campus and throughout the community. We knew it was a problem. Everywhere you turn, they’re always telling you to wash your hand, take showers and all this different stuff.

“We knew there was something going on and there was a few players getting sick, but we didn’t know the extent of how many people on our team were sick from it.”

So far, only three.

Demps, Cunningham and Hernandez all played against Tennessee on Saturday, but none of them seemed up to par.

Demps, who had a 101-degree temperature, ran four times for 31 yards and a touchdown. Hernandez caught four passes for 26 yards. And Cunningham finished with one tackle.

“They were beat up pretty good,” Meyer said.

Meyer said there could more players isolated this week as the Gators prepare to play at Kentucky. Meyer was most concerned with Demps, the team’s starting running back, because he’s early in the course of symptoms. Hernandez and Cunningham were getting over theirs, Meyer said.

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Updated Sep 21, 1:53 pm EDT
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181 Comments

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  1. James W
    181. Posted by James W Wed Sep 23 12:06pm EDT

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    Whooooooo cares some boys are sick on a football team, wow thats news
  2. Mb
    180. Posted by Mb Tue Sep 22 3:52pm EDT

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    if florida is the best state,i hope the states never get's invaded..........and clausen was a huge number guy in high school to,and now ?
  3. Rays Fan
    179. Posted by Rays Fan Tue Sep 22 3:44pm EDT

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    You seriously think Florida's worried about not having Tebow next year? Next year we have the guy who broke all of Tebows high school records. UF gets all the best recruits from the best state every year.
  4. Coach Odom
    178. Posted by Coach Odom Tue Sep 22 3:03pm EDT

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    Is urban legend scared? No Tebow after this year. Who will you rely on then. Better jump to ND.
  5. Curtis S
    177. Posted by Curtis S Tue Sep 22 2:36pm EDT

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    Goooooooooo canes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  6. STAR POWER
    176. Posted by STAR POWER Tue Sep 22 2:23pm EDT

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    AD I agree with you, to be the best you have to beat the best, that is why I pray everyday they we get a rematch in Atlanta. I would hate it to be someother team and then we would never know. Hope to see ya in Atlanta.

    Roll Tide just one at a time...........................
  7. Angry Dad
    175. Posted by Angry Dad Tue Sep 22 1:17pm EDT

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    Ruff, good to see that your brothers and sisters advanced your family. I am thinking that you, however, are stuck in that primordial goo wherever it is you live. By the way, your father would have been a Sergeant Major, or a Master Sergeant, not a Major Sargent. Those of us in the Navy have never used a mop to do any mopping with. If you want attempt to insult someone, find the proper terminology. As far as your father's and brother's service, it is greatly appreciated, but that does not relieve you of your responsibility to be a responsible human being. They served for the same reason I did, and that is to protect ass holes like you and provide you the freedoms that you have. If you are so proud of your father and brother for their service, then respect them and just say thank you to another veteran and leave it all alone. One last thing, and I will let you out of class, URBAN MEYER DOES NOT MAKE THE SCHEDULE! Grow the Fuque up!

    Richard S. Right now, Florida is Number one, because they started out the season at number 1 and they have not lost yet. If you don't want them to be number one, get a team together that can beat them and do so. Oh, you can't do that? Why? You aren't a major college? You aren't a D1-AA School? Perhaps you don't know shi t about the rankings. The old saying is "To be the best, you have to beat the best." In this case, "to be number one, you have to beat number 1." Until Florida loses, just like Georgia last year, and then Alabama, they will be number 1. Live with it @#$%! GO GATORS!!!
  8. Biggie
    174. Posted by Biggie Tue Sep 22 11:44am EDT

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    Waaaaahhhhhh,Waaaahhhhh,,,sniffle sniffle....
  9. <i>xtreeeme99</i>
    173. Posted by xtreeeme99 Tue Sep 22 11:37am EDT

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    167. Posted by Park Tue Sep 22 8:11am EDT Report Abuse
    OMG...that is over kill. The swine flu is totally overrated...how about the 40,000 people the normal flu kills yearly; I guess the stupid media didn't tell you about that one. Let's get all concerned about a little fever...Boo hoo...what a bunch of babies. "

    Still the flu, same symptoms same crappy feeling, pretty much like death if I recall how I felt the last time I got it. Like I said, none of you could sit at your office desk let alone play 60 minutes of football in Florida weather. Once again, this came out 2 days before the game, ESPN and Yahoo just didnt care to talk about it becuase they had their heads too far up the "we're going to sing rockytop all night long" crap over and over
  10. <i>xtreeeme99</i>
    172. Posted by xtreeeme99 Tue Sep 22 11:25am EDT

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    For all you imbreds that don’t know their a$$es from a hole in the ground, the fact that UF's players had the flu came out 2 days before the game. This is just another ploy for the media and you Tenn fans are too dumb to see it. It's kind of like when your dad said your mom wasn't his sister, you believed it but we all know it's not true.
  11. larry
    171. Posted by larry Tue Sep 22 9:58am EDT

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    could be the end of the gators..swine flu & cat=scratch fever
  12. Monica
    170. Posted by Monica Tue Sep 22 9:45am EDT

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    If Meyers is so concerned about the players, why is he letting them take the field when they are sick AND CONTAGIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  13. richard w
    169. Posted by richard w Tue Sep 22 9:30am EDT

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    Hook and Hal sounds like both of them go down on Gator guy junk !! lol.....You guys boast and brag and give every excuse in the world why your team didn't soundly beat Tenn,....players were sick,...another excuse !!.....tough not having the Charleston's and Troys every week ain't it ???....Your team is VERY BEATABLE this year !!....I see AT LEAST 2 losses !!....go suck the flu like systems out of your players !!
  14. Steve R
    168. Posted by Steve R Tue Sep 22 8:30am EDT

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    Sounds like this jackass is already looking for an excuse after his team did not destroy Tenn.
  15. <i>mroberts749</i>
    167. Posted by mroberts749 Tue Sep 22 8:13am EDT

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    really hal? i was unaware that we were going to lose 3 or 4 more. thanks. i am not retarded i know we dont have the best team out there. and he did make excuses, and said we werent trying to win, every team goes out there and trys to win every week. thats just stupid. the vols are a qb away from being a good team, until then we will contiue to lose. and if they have swine flu they dont need to be anywhere the field
  16. Park
    166. Posted by Park Tue Sep 22 8:11am EDT

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    OMG...that is over kill. The swine flu is totally overrated...how about the 40,000 people the normal flu kills yearly; I guess the stupid media didn't tell you about that one. Let's get all concerned about a little fever...Boo hoo...what a bunch of babies. Read the actual studies on the swine flu people...like the actual medical studies; the media blows it out of proportion...Urban wasn't getting enough media attention and that media hungary SOB wanted to get some, thats why he did it.
  17. richard w
    165. Posted by richard w Tue Sep 22 7:38am EDT

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    Seems like only Florida is worried about the flu,.......pretty good built in excuse for when you lose a game !!.....Urban Cryer can then say,....all my players were sick !!....gettin ready for a loss Cryer ?????.....And about TeBLOW,.....just another Danny Wuerfful,.....BIG giant bust in the NFL !!
  18. <i>mroberts749</i>
    164. Posted by mroberts749 Tue Sep 22 6:04am EDT

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    he was great in the second half though.. after he got his stuff, and you are right thewy werent as effective, but you still cant blame that on why ya'll didnt win by 30
  19. Hook
    163. Posted by Hook Tue Sep 22 5:52am EDT

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    mroberts all the gators that were sick still played but wernt as effective, Mccoy wasnt as effective either if u noticed his stats, compared to what they normally are.
  20. Hook
    162. Posted by Hook Tue Sep 22 5:49am EDT

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    bandit55 ur a punk shut ur lil trap and go cry to someone else about ur garbage michigan team. ur 07 team that beat fl was michigans last good team of this era, cheerish it while u can.
  21. <i>mroberts749</i>
    161. Posted by mroberts749 Tue Sep 22 5:36am EDT

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    colt mccoy ate a p and j sandwhich and drank some pedialite and was fine, and he touches the ball every play, why couldnt the gator players do that? you cant blame not running the score up on a few guys who had the flu and the other team being conservative... tn has no choice to run the ball
  22. <i>bandit55us</i>
    160. Posted by bandit55us Tue Sep 22 5:08am EDT

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    Oh i also remember Michigan kickin that gator donkey in their own back yard. Bring florida up to michigan in december or early january and see how they play!
  23. <i>bandit55us</i>
    159. Posted by bandit55us Tue Sep 22 4:47am EDT

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    Meyer sure seems worried about winning games. He isnt one bit worried about the health of the kids , just winning games. Are all the students at the university getting flu shots and seperate dorm rooms?? Of course not. Just football players. Typical american, worried how it will make him look. Dont worry, you could lose 3 games and someone could go undefeated and you most likely will still win your national championship. I hope the whole team gets sick and he has to play with the talent level of other schools.. Oh and we dont have to worry about Jesus Christ "Tim Tebow" himself getting sick. God loves him more than us and he is the perfect little human being. He sure isnt goig to get it from another girl now is he. He is so perfect he is still a virgin! Whatever!
  24. rob
    158. Posted by rob Tue Sep 22 4:29am EDT

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    meyer knows swine. he is swine. roll tide
  25. Hook
    157. Posted by Hook Tue Sep 22 2:46am EDT

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    Do you haters EVEN READ the article? this isnt Meyer making excuses, this is him nervous for his team getting sick like other teams have in the past where the entire team caught it because it wasnt proactive against the players getting sick. READ THE ARTICLE BEFORE YOU COMMMMMENTTTT. THIS IS ABOUT HEALTH OF GATORS PLAYERS, NOT ABOUT LAST WEEKS GAME.!!!!
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