Seven Florida football players, including star wide receiver Antonio Callaway, have been suspended from the Sept. 2 opener against Michigan, the school announced Sunday.
“We have a small group of players that have made some choices that are extremely disappointing,” UF coach Jim McElwain said. “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.”
The school did not announce the reason for the suspensions, but the players were allegedly misusing funds that are part of their scholarships provided by the university, according to reports.
Along with Callaway, defensive end Keivonnis Davis, defensive end Jordan Smith, outside linebacker James Houston, offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort, defensive tackle Richerd Desir-Jones and linebacker Ventrell Miller have been suspended from the opener.
The announcement from UF comes the day after there were numerous rumors and reports on social media that five Florida players were in possible trouble. Several of the names in those rumors and reports were not accurate, apparently, based on the names released by the school Sunday.
The players were/are facing a university issue, and not a legal issue.
Callaway already was facing a possible suspension from the Michigan game after being cited for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana earlier this summer. He pled no contest and was ordered to pay court cost.
Callaway, UF’s leading receiver last season and the biggest playmaker on offense, is the only starter among the seven players suspended.
Davis sees significant playing time on the defensive line rotation, while Smith and Desir-Jones have played very little in their careers. Desir-Jones made the move to defensive tackle from offensive tackle in the spring.
The other suspended players — Houston, Telfort and Miller — are all true freshmen. Houston and Telfort were early enrollees who participated in spring practice.
Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or robbie.andreu@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu’s blog at Gatorsports.com.
