Florida Gators Report 11 Positive COVID-19 Tests Across Athletic Programs

As the coronavirus continues to ransack the state of Florida, numerous sports programs -- both professional and collegiate -- have revealed a startling number of positive tests.

This latest spike doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon, as the University of Florida announced on Tuesday that at least 11 athletes across several Gator teams have contracted COVID-19 since April.

"As we’ve said before, we will have positive tests and with guidance from UF Health, we feel we are well positioned to manage those cases," Gator athletics spokesperson Steve McClain said in an official statement.

As of June 9, the university reported that zero football players had received a positive diagnosis, but that two individuals from other sports had. It seemed impossible that Florida managed to steer clear of an outbreak weeks after student-athletes began reporting back to Gainesville for voluntary workouts in late May, so this report, as somber as it sounds, really seemed inevitable.

Given the contagious nature of the virus, this update could've been a lot worse. However, that doesn't make it any less concerning. In fact, it only raises more questions as to why the NCAA is currently planning to move forward with sports this fall as if they're an inevitability.