It's time for Jim McElwain to be done with Antonio Callaway
I get it.
Jim McElwain is trying to give a young man a chance. Well, more like four chances. The Florida coach is facing high expectations to improve an offense with limited weapons. McElwain — and really any coach — also believes that he can change a young man and get him on the right path to the NFL. Those two things work hand in hand.
All of that is understandable. But that doesn’t matter anymore.
It’s time for Antonio Callaway to go.
The Gators announced Sunday that their star wide receiver was one of seven players suspended for the Michigan game for an undisclosed reason. Regardless of what exactly the suspension stems from — McElwain will address it officially at 12:15 p.m. on Monday — it’s clear that Callaway has been given more than enough second chances by Florida.
If McElwain continues to defend Callaway, he’ll be doing it for all the wrong reasons. Whether he wants to admit it or not, it’s time to cut bait on the troubled Gator.
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nobody is saying college athletes are perfect. They’re far from it. We all are.
Seeing McElwain’s quote in the team’s official release regarding the suspension made it seem like this was just a case of college kids making a mistake.
“We have a small group of players that have made some choices that are extremely disappointing,” McElwain said in a statement. “Action has been taken – they have missed some practice and will miss the Michigan game. We will use this as a learning opportunity and we will have some players step up as we move forward.”
This was technically the first time Callaway was suspended for game action at Florida, though he should’ve already been at home for the season opener. After all, he spent all of last offseason suspended as the subject of a sexual assault investigation. Never mind the fact that the hearing officer was a longtime UF booster and a former track athlete as a student.
Does everyone remember what Callaway’s defense was?
“I was so stoned, I had no interested in having sex with anyone,” Callaway stated according to the hearing report.
Ah, there’s the sign of a guy who gets it.
After Callaway was cleared of violating three Florida student code of conduct rules — just in time for the start of the 2016 season — he still couldn’t keep his nose clean.
In May, he was arrested on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession in Gainesville. OK, that’s not the biggest deal in the world. There will be plenty of college players with marijuana-related suspensions in 2017.
Oh, but Callaway didn’t get suspended for that. It didn’t seem to matter that Callaway was traveling with a 40-year-old criminal who had been arrested for battery, cocaine possession, drug trafficking, grand theft, and lewd and lascivious behavior with a child 12 to 16 years of age.
“There’s another opportunity to learn,” McElwain told 247 Sports. “There’s another opportunity to educate. We’ll get it handled.”
Clearly, Callaway has problems that go well beyond weed if those are the type of people he’s spending his free time with. Apparently Callaway can’t even stay out of trouble when he’s hanging out with teammates, according to this latest incident.
Why is that a guy McElwain wants wearing Florida gear head-to-toe?
Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Well, that’s obvious. Callaway is Florida’s best playmaker, and it’s not even close. If he’s not on the field, Florida’s uncertain quarterback situation adds another question mark. McElwain’s stuck-in-the-mud offense loses its only four-wheeler that can blow past an opposing defense. He’s also the guy that’s dragging Florida through the mud with negative headline after negative headline.
How much is that worth to McElwain? How can he look a recruit’s parents in the eyes and tell them that he’ll take care of their son and keep him on the straight and narrow if he allows Callaway to walk all over him?
This isn’t a student-athlete that had a bad day or a bad moment. This is a young man who has been given all the opportunity in the world to succeed, and for reasons beyond anyone’s understanding, he doesn’t realize what he’s throwing away. At least not yet.
Antonio Callaway’s situation is all-too-familiar in college football. It’s a shame that McElwain can’t get through to him. By now, that much is obvious.
Maybe things could’ve been different if McElwain had forced Callaway to watch from the sidelines just once before he got in trouble for his third incident (that’s been reported). But that didn’t happen. He meant too much to Florida.
It’s time for McElwain to stop treating Callaway like a kid. If he wasn’t before, Callaway should be out of chances.
And McElwain should be out of excuses.
Well this does shed a different light on it for me. He makes a pretty good point. Hope Callaway gets his stuff together before he blows a promising career.
What point did he make? That because he hangs out out with a turd he deserves to be cut? List what call away has been convicted of or pled guilty to. I’ll wait and you tell me if it’s grounds for being cut.
The point made is that Calloway has been accused of sexual assault, for which Callaway’s defense was that he was stoned. He was also charged with weed possession and now this. The turd he hangs out with is just confirmation that Calloway is a walking problem for the school. It also hurts McElwain’s reputation.
Come on man. Huntley Johnson could plead down a murder to simple assault. Just because Callaway is the next in a long line of Gators to get off doesn’t mean he’s not a radioactive sandbag on the program.
Y’all know Auburn and Coach Gus are just licking their lips thinking about bringing Calloway in once Florida has cut him, right?
Auburn: Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Chance U.
Lol so true
For sho
We’ll take em, and turn them into Heisman winning champions and role models. Any kid that goes to UF or UGA is just begging to become a career criminal.
The sad part is you actually believe this…
So you’re saying Nick Marshall and Cam Newton are horrible people and haven’t won a championship? Who’s delusional?
no dumb @$$, what about Nick Marshall is a role model? Please tell me how its a guarantee to be a “career criminal” by going to UGA. Don’t worry, King Kirby will continue what Saint Richt did to Auburn. Daddy will be back in Auburn Nov 11
I think what you meant to say, is please cut him so we can get him and cover up all the bad stuff he does so that we have a ghost of a chance in hell of being competitive with Bama. Criminals are our only hope, that’s why we take them all.
It’s about to be a 100 years since your team has beaten us. Shouldn’t you wait until your team has actually won something to start whining about others?
Mac has definitely been lax with Calloway, but kicking him off the team seems too harsh at this point. He should be put on zero tolerance when it comes to personal misconduct. This is what happens when coaches keep giving players a pass without holding them accountable in some way.
As much as I enjoy watching Callaway make big plays, but I agree this is ridiculous. I get that at every school talent buys you extra chances but Callaway (as talented as he is) has got to have real consequences for his actions. I think he already should’ve been suspended for the Mich game from his last incident. And if this is what it’s rumored to be, something about credit card fraud, then he should have some actual serious consequences outside of missing a football game.
Misuse of scholarship funds* not credit card fraud
I read it was credit card fraud also, because they reported the cards stolen. That could be a felony if the goods were over a certain value.
I’m glad to see Florida fans react this way. I know the kid is talented, but his personal flaws seem to be affecting his teammates as well. I think Coach Mac is going to get roasted pretty bad by media for allowing this pattern of behavior to continue. At some point, it’s simply not worth the extra baggage on the program and I believe Callaway has used up his chances. What if next time it does involve a felony arrest? What if he drags another star player down with him?
Honestly a lot of Gator fans are fed up with players doing this. I agree with a friend of mine, they should keep him on the team and bench him until he earns his spot back with good behavior. That way you can try and work to improve his influences and work to help him see his behavior and actions actually do matter.
Players doing this meaning talented players constantly getting in trouble
I don’t care how talented he is. I’m at the point now where I believe it’s a mistake to keep a ticking time bomb on the team. He’s clearly a dumbass who can’t make good decisions. The coaching staff shouldn’t have to go through the season with two sets of playbooks– one with Callaway and the other for when he does something stupid again.
They don’t need two playbooks. Josh Hammond is coming along as a viable deep threat; and Dre Massey will be money over the middle.
Of course, I truly hope you’re right. But let’s be honest: Callaway is proven, and Hammond and Massey have yet to accomplish anything.
Surprised yall didn’t mention Cleveland. I think that kid could be better than Calloway.
Massey is yet to be proven in season. But Hammond was great last year on 2nd string, and performed well in the Spring game.
And as far as Cleveland is concerned, he’s just a different type than Callaway. He’s not a burner, or a quick twitch. He’s simply a big body who can win one-on-ones – which is awesome – I was just specifically addressing back-filling what Callaway brought.
If he isn’t cut, then he certainly doesn’t need to start – ever again. He should sit at least through the UK game.
Stick him on special teams, and not as a return specialist.
Mac didn’t hesitate to put Grier through an apology presser; and then refused to guarantee him a spot when he cleared suspension. We are way too deep at receiver to value Callaway so much.
Leave it to a Big 10 writer to tell the SEC what to do…but hey, ignore Penn State, Ohio State and the rest of the tarnish on that conference. Instead focus on the mistakes of Antonio Callaway.
Yes, let’s.
While Calloway can be labeled a repeat offender in some people’s book, we must not forget that at this point he has not been guilty of anything but bad press. Of the offenses for which he has made the news, he has been either acquitted or at least, not prosecuted. So, even though he has been the object of some negative press, he has not been the bad guy that some media people seem to want to make him out to be. Then again, all these non-Florida writers only have superficial knowledge. They see his name again, assume the worst…and then write their uniformed opinions.
Callaway’s problem, IMHO, is his decision making ability. Whether it’s his actions or with whom he chooses to hang out, those decisions always seem to land him in hot water. Then again, when you are a potential star…those type of people seem to seek you out. He needs some kind of responsible people around him that will keep him on the straight and narrow. But let’s not jump to the same conclusion as this short sighted author. You do not kick out a kid for allegations, especially when he has not been found to have done any of them.
Coaches don’t need the law to make discipline decisions. If a kid is continually fighting in the locker room with team mates for instance, there will likely never be charges filed. But you bet your a$$ that coach will dismiss him. A kid who was “on the record” for using the excuse he was too stoned to recall his involvement in a sex offense is plenty of reason alone.
Repeated behavior just sends a message that he doesn’t respect his coach or school cause he’s headed for the NFL (who won’t tolerate it, ultimately). I know it sucks when it’s your player. Been there. But it must be done.
So he should be writing for Saturday Up North. He is writing articles for what certainly seems to be a SEC site.
Bullgator sounds like such a homer. Just another enabler.
I agree. There seems to be an assumption by most people that it was a slam dunk case against Callaway in the sexual assault hearing and he only got off because UF appointed a booster. From what I read about the case it actually seemed like he would’ve been cleared anyway, but of course we’ll never know because of the terrible decision by the school to appoint a booster. I also think Callaway will be fine in the NFL because they’ll be able to monitor him better. All his problems at UF have been during the offseason when McElwain and the coaches aren’t able to keep an eye on him.
Maybe Callaway has some incriminating photos of McElwain with that shark. It may have been more than an “innocent” act of dry-humping.
Boy, our team has been in this situation too. I was biting my lip over Dorial Green-Beckham when he was dismissed from Mizzou. He was a big playmaker in 2013 and a part of Mizzou’s success. A part of me wanted to forgive the pot busts and hanging with losers. But his domestic thing was too much. Pinkle didn’t waste time and dismissed him. He was the #1 rated receiver in high school and expected to be a 1st round pick in the NFL and was developing well as a receiver.
I believe in forgiveness and second chances. But the individual has to believe in himself too. If not, he can end up as Aaron Hernandez.
For all of the FU apologists out there, how easily we forget what happens when you let a thug consistently break rules with no consequences. Aaron Hernandez had numerous issues while in college, and probably would’ve been dismissed by a coach with more integrity. Instead, they continue to ignore past mistakes by giving 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th chances to these stupid kids that have already proven that they don’t deserve it. I agree wholeheartedly with O’Gara on this one.
But he din du nuffin