Seven Florida Players Suspended For Opener
Florida has had some offseason problems unrelated to shark-humping, and lo the many are suspended:
Seven Florida players -- including leading WR Antonio Callaway -- suspended for the Michigan game. pic.twitter.com/OpFpXXHLUv
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) August 13, 2017
Those players are:
- WR Antonio Callaway: junior who led Florida in receiving last year with 721 yards; next closest guy under 400.
- DE Keivonnis Davis: junior backup with about 30 tackles last year.
- DT Richard Desir-Jones: moved from OL last year and may be a depth contributor.
- LBs James Houston and Ventrell Miller, DE Jordan Smith, OT Kadeem Telfort: freshmen who probably wouldn't have gotten on the field anyway.
Callaway is kind of a big deal but nobody else was likely to be relevant except maybe Davis.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
one less proven receiver for their qb may mean he holds on to the ball a half second longer and gets to be the meat in a Mo Hurst and Rashan Gary sandwich.
August 13th, 2017 at 8:54 PM ^
Calloway really did not want to play in this game. Someone forgot to tell him J Lewis graduated earlier this year.
August 13th, 2017 at 10:06 PM ^
With one of the few unproven spots on UM's defense in the backfield, I think this loss will hurt Florida as it's probably the only spot they could potentially hurt UM.
August 14th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^
Obviously it doesn't hurt Michigan's chances to beat Florida, but I'd much rather just destroy them while they won't have any built in excuses. I can already picture SEC slappies at ESPN if Florida is having a great year after a loss to Michigan spewing out "Sure they belong in the playoff, that one loss was the first game of the season and they ahd a bunch of kids suspended, they are a different team now, yada yada yada". I just hope the score is so lopsided that the loss won't be able to be debated by anyone for any reason.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:03 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:48 PM ^
He's good, he's in their, "Circle of Trust". Part of his transfer agreement, along with changing the SEC rule.
TBH though, I'd hope/expect being older he wouldn't be dumb enough to be involved.
August 13th, 2017 at 11:07 PM ^
August 14th, 2017 at 8:46 AM ^
Sounds like this went down several months ago and is only coming to light now. Pre-dates Zaire's arrival on the campus.
August 14th, 2017 at 9:24 AM ^
started school on the same day.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:04 PM ^
Good for McElwain - he had to do it.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
The problem is it looks like he didn't want to do anything. This incident happened quite a while back, and he did nothing until everything blew up last night. McElwain did the right thing under pressure, apparently.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:26 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:40 PM ^
You keep asking for this -- go to any of the Florida boards that are reporting on the story. Gator Chatter, Gator Bait, Alligator Alley, Swamp Gas, etc. Every single one of them has a DOTMAN-style poster who A) broke the story and then B) said that McElwain is furious about the leak. It's not just some Michigan fabrication.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:59 PM ^
Considering that Florida made no mention of this or any pending suspensions until after this story got out seems to imply there was no plan to suspend the players. So I'd imagine he's pissed about the leak because it forced his hand, not just because information got out.
The stakes are very different in this game for McElwain than they are for Harbaugh. Michigan fans know it's a rebuilding year. Florida fans aren't happy with the recruiting trend under McElwain or the bad offense and are getting frustrated with him. Their losses weren't close last year and they are tired of being embarrassed by good teams. So I'd imagine he feels this is a must win or he will feel his seat heating up.
August 13th, 2017 at 6:03 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 7:14 PM ^
August 14th, 2017 at 7:07 AM ^
Schools do pre-announce suspensions, whetever that means. Florida just did so.
There was speculation earlier in the summer that Calloway would be suspended for his legal issue in May. McIlwein could have kept Michigan's coaches in the dark about his presence in the game, but chose to announce he would not be suspended.
Which leads to another obvious point, that schools don't have to announce right away whether players are suspended when the infractions are public knowledge. That's up to them. They can keep the opposition guessing and sometimes do.
I find it extremely difficult to give McIlwein and Florida the benefit of the doubt here. It sure looks like they never wanted this story to get out. Perhaps there was going to be a game day announcement that the players were suspended, 'for violation of team rules'. I'm being charitable here. There's no way they would want that story to come out then and have to deal with the fallout from concealing it.
A last point that I find particularly appalling about their actions - why is Calloway getting the same suspension as freshmen who had just arrived on campus? He was in trouble last season, was just cited under concerning circumstances in May. Two other players who were cited for marijuana possession were suspended for a game. He's getting special treatment because he's a star player. There's no way around that.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:29 PM ^
Michigan has 11? freshman who have been on campus for 7 months. Florida probably has several EE also. Seven months is enough time to get in trouble.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:41 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 6:40 PM ^
Preach.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
Wonder why Callaway keeps doing stupid shit when he never gets held accountable for his actions?
August 13th, 2017 at 8:22 PM ^
He probably thinks florida is following the urbz handbook of player conduct....
August 13th, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
Yes but is Mcelwaine getting suspended for violating that shark? I can't imagine for a second that the shark consented.
August 13th, 2017 at 6:26 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:13 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
you didn`t hear a detailed account of every freshman so youre worried?
August 14th, 2017 at 2:20 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:27 PM ^
What does it take to constitute a large group of players? Must be SEC math.
August 13th, 2017 at 10:20 PM ^
August 14th, 2017 at 12:59 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:37 PM ^
in Pete Finebaum's (and every SEC Slappy fan's) opinion, even a NON-starter on an SEC team is better than any starter anywhere else in CFB....
So yes, they will cry about this for the next 10 years.
August 13th, 2017 at 6:39 PM ^
Fournette is thankful he's not playing them this year.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:39 PM ^
Plus this pretty much matches up exactly with our two key weaknesses: defensive backfield & our OL.
Normally I feel bad for a team when their players can't play. But that's due to injuries, not being idiots off the field.
I'll take my advantages where I can get them. Screw what Finebaum has to say. Nobody will remember at the end of the season who was injured or not--only the final score.
August 13th, 2017 at 5:54 PM ^
Nobody will remember? Really? Because PSU, and everyone that mentions it, reminds us that they were missing thier defense in Ann Arbor last season. Not that having an entirely healthy defense would have done them any good, anyway... Thier healthy defense made Wisconsin's offense look like a juggernaut...
August 13th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^
There's plenty of games that we lost due to injuries, and nobody gives us credit for moral victories during the loss.
A win is a win as far as I'm concerned.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:40 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 6:40 PM ^
Wasn't their defense that kicked that fieldgoal.
August 13th, 2017 at 9:03 PM ^
clap
+1
August 13th, 2017 at 9:49 PM ^
Who was injured or suspended in the 2013 Iron Bowl?.......No one remembers outside of the most devout Bama and Auburn fans. Everyone else just remembers the Kick Six.
I just want to win. If half of Florida's team is suspended, good. I don't care. A win is a win and that's the recordbooks will show.
August 14th, 2017 at 12:17 AM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 8:34 PM ^
August 13th, 2017 at 5:34 PM ^
They must have been really obviously guilty for an SEC team to do this. Good for them though to actually levy punishment.
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