GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Jim McElwain created quite a firestorm on Monday when he dropped, relatively out of the blue, the news that people in his program have received death threats.

The Gators followed up Monday evening with a statement that they met with McElwain, concerned about the revelation and the safety of their players, coaches and their families. They also dropped this nugget: "he provided no additional details," leaving many scratching their head wondering what exactly was going on.

On an SEC teleconference call on Wednesday, McElwain was again pressed on the issue. He seemed to regret putting the threats out there publicly, though he didn't explicitly say that.

"I think one of the things is those who know me and the people that realize I'm a real passionate guy and a guy," McElwain said, rambling a bit, "There's obviously letting, you know, exactly what I tell our people not to do is allow one or two misguided remarks get to you.

"The care I have and passion for these players, this university, and the fact we have an unbelievable fanbase. It's great. There's passion. I mean when you go into that Swamp it's something special, and our guys feel it. Yeah, you know, I do. I feel bad for sometimes being open and being honest. And yet at the same time, I've seen this movie. I understand it. If it gets to a point then we'll go from there."

Asked to clarify whether he would report anything to the authorities or provide details on exactly what threats he or the people in his program have faced, McElwain gave a bit of an odd answer.

Essentially, he made it sound like the threats haven't been that serious yet.

"When it becomes unmanageable, at that point (I'll give details)," he said. "Like I said, I've got a lot of care and care for this program and these people. At the same time, allowing a couple things get to you, you know what? You can't do that. And ultimately that's the business we're in. And you know what, we'll move forward and get ready to go play this ballgame."

Florida will take on Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday on CBS.

Something tells us the alleged death threats might come up once or twice on the broadcast.

---------------

For more news on Florida sports and recruiting, follow GatorBait247 on Twitter or sign up for our FREE daily Gators newsletter!

Contact Thomas Goldkamp by 247Sports' personal messaging system or on Twitter at @ThomasGoldkamp.