As far as fans are concerned, athletes aren't human beings, they are things. If Florida's starting RG died today, after a brief period of pretending to mourn, all the Florida fans would care about is how good the backup is.

This isn't a Florida thing, it is true of every college and pro team. It is worse in football, but is true in most sports. The teams and fans couldn't care less about the long term health of the players. Once a player is no longer useful, he can be gotten rid of and not given another thought, like you would a nine-volt battery.