Updated: Smith facing additional charges
WEDNESDAY UPDATE
The Gainesville Police Department has filed a sworn complaint against redshirt freshman defensive end Jordan Smith recommending four third-degree felony charges. Two charges are for grand theft of less than $5,000 with other charges for fraud impersonation and swindling.
GPD’s report on Smith states that he attempted to use a Virginia man’s credit card information to pay $1,007.82 of debt to a Gainesville apartment complex The Woodlands. Smith used an online portal specifically tied to his account with the complex to make the transaction. The man told GPD he did not give Smith permission to use his card. He does not know how Smith obtained the card information.
Smith, who was suspended from team activities on Aug. 13, also faces five third-degree felony charges (four impersonation and one fraud) from a sworn complaint filed by the University of Florida Police Department on Monday. Nine players were part of UPD’s investigation, with Smith and freshman offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort the only players to be recommended for more than two charges. GPD launched its investigation of Smith on Aug. 17.
A product of Lithonia, Ga., Smith arrived at Florida in 2016 and redshirted.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Sworn affidavits were filed Monday recommending felony charges for all nine Florida football players suspended for their involvement in investigations related to the misuse of school funds and alleged credit card fraud. The players allegedly used stolen credit cards to transfer money into their UF accounts. The cases are now in the hands of the state attorney.
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Junior wide receiver Antonio Callaway, junior defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones, freshman linebacker James Houston, freshman linebacker Ventrell Miller, junior running back Jordan Scarlett, redshirt freshman defensive end Jordan Smith and redshirt freshman wide receiver Rick Wells are all facing two third-degree felony counts of fraud (swindling of property valued under $20,000) and impersonation.
Smith faces three additional impersonation charges. The most charges were recommended for freshman offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort with 30 felony counts. Telfort was part of the seven players suspended on Aug. 13 from all team activities. Scarlett and Wells were suspended on Aug. 30, the week of the Michigan game, bringing the total to nine.
Callaway and Scarlett, the two most prominent players of the group, have faced prior suspensions in their UF careers. Callaway was suspended from team activities during spring practice in 2016 while the university investigated a sexual assault allegation. Documents from the investigation revealed that Callaway used being “too stoned” to have sex as part of his defense. He was cited for marijuana possession in May and agreed to a plea deal in July. Scarlett was suspended for the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl game his freshman season after being cited for marijuana possession in December 2015.
The Alachua County court system was inputting the case information into its database during the scheduled Monday media availability with Florida players and head coach Jim McElwain. The third-year coach said he was not aware of the development at the time saying he had been giving a radio interview. He declined to announce any disciplinary actions on the spot.
"Well, obviously, know this: I really care about those guys,” McElwain said. “We're going to do right by them. You're asking me something, which this is the first I've heard about it. Obviously, we sit down as a staff, we sit down as an administration. Obviously, the university first and what that is. Yet, at the end of the day, I'll do everything I can to help these guys."
Though the players have been suspended from practices and games, McElwain acknowledged that the nine suspended players still associate with their teammates.
"Well, they're going to school, right, which they've been doing a good job of using all the accommodations that they're given,” McElwain said. “They haven't you know ... I'm not saying they don't see them; they all live together, right? But that's part of the lesson, too, and in some cases, our team kind of had moved on and then we'll deal with whatever it is when it comes up. I think there's one thing these guys have done a pretty good job of is dealing with some things."
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