[Updated, 5:35 p.m., 12-8] The sometimes spectacular and often troubled college career of Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway has come to an end.
The junior from Miami has signed with an agent and will forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft this spring.
Callaway, UF’s leading receiver in 2015 and 2016, has signed with former University of Miami running back Mel Bratton of MB5 Sports.
Callaway was one of nine players suspended for the 2017 season while under investigation for credit card fraud. He accepted a pre-trial intervention agreement with the State Attorney’s Office last month.
Before the start of the 2016 season, Callaway was eventually cleared in a lengthy sexual assault investigation.
This past summer, Callaway was cited for misdemeanor possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. That charge was dropped after he pled guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia.
Callaway finishes his UF career with 89 receptions for 1,399 yards and seven touchdowns. He also returned two punts for touchdowns.
Robinson’s career over
True freshman wide receiver James Robinson is going to have to give up football due to a heart condition that was detected before the start of the season.
Robinson Tweeted the following Friday: “Hurts knowing I can’t play football again.”
UF confirmed that Robinson’s UF career has ended.
“After a thorough evaluation by doctors from across the country and our medical staff, it has been determined that James Robinson will not be medically cleared to play football at the University of Florida,” said Steve McClain, UF’s senior associate athletic director for communications. ”The University Athletic Association has offered their support to James and his family during this very difficult time.”
Robinson was a four-star prospect from Lakeland.
UF had been waiting for final test results on Robinson.
Rumph a Vol?
According to reports out of Tennessee, UF defensive line coach Chris Rumph was in Knoxville on Friday to accept a position on new Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt’s staff.
Rumph and Pruitt worked together on the same Alabama staff under Nick Saban.
Rumph is one of four UF assistants retained, at least temporarily, by new Florida coach Dan Mullen to assist with recruiting. The others are linebackers coach Tim Skipper, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and offensive line coach Brad Davis. Their future status on the staff will be determined at a later date.
More Massey
While Callaway is leaving, slot receiver Dre Massey is returning for his senior season. He announced his decision on Twitter.
“I see it’s some uncertainty but Im coming back,” he wrote on his account.
Massey, a junior college transfer, was granted an extra year of eligibility after missing last season with a torn ACL.
This past season, Massey caught 11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for nine yards.
Callaway threw away his Gator career and teammates and a substantial amount of draft money with his continuing weed addiction. He obviously has no respect for himself or anyone else. GOOD RIDDANCE!
I totally agree. He’ll end up in prison, or dead one. Maybe both.
The stakes of not playing football at UF are not that high to speculate either of those outcomes for Calloway.
Football is a game, or used to be.
Bingo, Ugator. All the skill in the world, but no character. What a shame.
Well, there’s no such thing as a “weed addiction”, but I agree the kid made horrible decisions and probably felt entitled to make them because he was a damn good player. I think we could all relate to feeling entitled to things from time to time.
Good luck kid
Here is some information about “weed addiction” that might be helpful from Google:
“Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to physical and psychological marijuana addiction. Heavy, long-term marijuana users develop physical dependence on the drug and withdrawal symptoms upon quitting. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms typically include irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, impaired appetite and aggression.”
How’s that?
Hows that? It’s crap, that’s how it is. You found one opinion on Google and are posting it as a universal, accepted fact. The VAST majority of studies show that marijuana is not physically addictive in the least bit, and while there are some people who become psychologically addicted that means very little because one can become psychologically addicted to television, popcorn, lottery scratch-offs, fidget spinners, etc.
People who smoke too much marijuana do so because they choose to do so. Addiction is just an excuse to shirk one’s responsibilities.
Too many athletes have lost Millions because of their weed addition, it was more important to them than having a clean test!….How’s That!!!…Forget about opinions look at real life results!
A Title IX legacy of having been too stoned to have sex.
shocker…..lol
keyword there is *addiction* – that’s more of a disease than a behavioral issue and while he certainly blew his opportunity at UF and to be a high draft pick, picking on a youngster for an addiction is low. the credit card stuff was pure idiocy, which i am sure the players involved all now realize, but let’s not kick a kid for something that is beyond basic immaturity and foolishness.
we’ll always have that catch against tennessee…. 🙁
The behavioral issues are indeed a component of the addiction, birdman. Hard to actually tease them apart, although not all clinicians believe addictive/appetitive disorders follow the disease process per se.
Addiction is frequently used as an excuse by the weak-willed. Marijuana is not addictive.
Yea, cause youve quit a hundred times!!!
Street corner punks are dime a dozen. Being fastest to an assault, thief, or bag is just a way of life for Callaway. Fit right in with the Modern NFL. Now the other 8 need to go as well. Need the space for quality people who are interested in bettering themselves and the Gators. Bye Bye Jailbirds, glad to see you go.
About ******* time, IMHO. McElweenie let him metastasize into The Numskull Nine. This is a bad echo of the Tosu coach’s “Circle of Trust.”
Good riddance and don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you Antonio.
Callaway: Enormous amount of talent but his stupidity is off the chart.
7 whole touchdowns. What a waste Callaway. Wise up.
except for tennessee, very underwhelming
Great player when he was on the field. However, way to many off the field issues. He should have been cut from the team to make an example to the other players. I for one am glad he is leaving. Not a good role model for the younger players.
Sorry to hear about Robinson. Wish Galloway well. Had hoped rumph would work out here but the performance against south carolina is …well..I hope he never let’s kids play again who aren’t going to put forth the necessary effort to win. It can get the players hurt.
Hey, ain’t you mveal2006? I’m an old man, stop confusing me!
Goodbye dirt bag !!!!
THANKS FOR NOTHING CALLOWAY. THANKS IN PART TO YOUR HELPING RUIN THE TEAM’S SEASON.
Antonio need to seek God’s will for his life in order to be successful in the future! I will pray for him!
That’s where the real hope is, 1948. Thanks for stepping up.
Very sad to hear about Robinson. Seems to be a good kid that was unlucky, but it’s good that it was found out before something worse could’ve happened while in practice or a game. I can totally understand Rumph going to coach with Pruitt. Heard a good statement from a former coach that in the coaching profession, staying with the guys you know help to lead to a longer stay. As far as Calloway, best of luck to him….hope he straightens his life out after the draft. Seen a lot of guys with all of the talent and skill in the world let it all fall by the side.
I hope Calloway gets his life together. It does no good to bad mouth the guy. Really sorry for Robinson.
Good luck to both of them. Hopefully Robinson can keep his scholarship and graduate. Calloway will be a milionaire when he gets to the NFL or shortly thereafter. I didn’t have a problem with the weed, I mean it wasn’t herion and he wasn’t dealing. What bothered me about him was the stealing of the credit card numbers.
Les Jacobs as far as him ending up dead, “we all got it coming kid”.
I wish to know if our new coach had something to say to him about his life and situation. Does anybody know?
Personally I am glad he is gone to clean the slate and to start a new culture of accountability at UF. The Foley-Mac legacy is simply ugly.
Callaway isn’t gone because of a “weed addiction”. He is a kid. For those of you who think we are some perfect institution of clean cut , non-drinking, non-smoking All Americans, a huge percentage of the population at UF when I was there in the “old days” smoked weed. You could smellit at football games right in the stands. The problem with weed is it is a team and school rule not to smoke it–period. We can debate all day long whether you can get addicted to it or whether it is good or bad for you, but the bottom line is his coaches and school told him NO and he didn’t care. He had a problem following rules. He did his own thing and didn’t care about how his failure to follow rules would affect him or the team. And I don’t care if his coaches forbid eating cabbage.Those are the conditions of his getting a free ride at Fla and he should have respected that. If you recall, he was also cited for other unspecified violations of team rules that did not include weed. This will be the concern of NFL coaches–not only pot but whether this guy will simply do what his coaches tell him. Or others in authority for that matter. I wish him the best. Plenty of young guys at Fla and other places have made mistakes–as we all do every day–who ultimately got their act together. I hope he will too.
Well said.