Ad Disclosure
Antonio Callaway: If I could’ve been out there, Jim McElwain wouldn’t have lost his job
Published:
Antonio Callaway took responsibility for his actions on Friday.
The former Florida receiver spent the 2017 suspended because of a credit card fraud scandal that involved 9 players. The Gators offense struggled to find playmakers at receiver, and eventually, Jim McElwain was fired in the middle of a disastrous 4-win season in Gainesville.
Callaway put that blame on himself.
At his NFL Scouting Combine press conference on Friday, Callaway admitted that he felt guilty for Florida’s season spinning out of control and watching his coach get fired:
#Gators WR Antonio Callaway says he takes it personal that coach Jim McElwain lost his job. Said if he would have been out there he thinks his coach would still be there.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 2, 2018
McElwain obviously had other reasons besides Callaway’s actions that led to his departure. Making up death threats and failing to find an answer at the quarterback position certainly didn’t help McElwain, who is now the receivers coach at Michigan.
The Gators did miss Callaway on the field. He racked up 1,399 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in his 2 seasons in Gainesville before his season-long suspension in 2017. That, plus his special team prowess, was why he was invited to Indianapolis.
Callaway’s question marks are off-field related. The credit card suspension was the third of 3 incidents he had in his 3 years at Florida. He added that he actually wanted to come back for his senior season, but he made the decision to turn pro after meeting with the new coaching staff.
As for whether Callaway can turn a new leaf on his career, an honest press conference in Indianapolis certainly wasn’t a bad start:
#Gators WR Antonio Callaway on the unfortunate end to his college career: “I was immature. I made a mistake that cost me my season. I’ve moved past it and grew from it.”
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) March 2, 2018
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
