On the Mark: Five thoughts on the seven suspensions
Most of the news that comes to light in the off-season, outside of practice reports, tends to be of a negative nature.
That certainly proved to be the case on Saturday when word began spreading of multiple Florida football players being involved with an off-the-field issue.
The issue at hand ended up being seven student-athletes making improper charges on their university student IDs by purchasing products they weren't supposed to and then selling those items.
Whether or not they compounded their mistake by reporting those cards as stolen isn't completely verified as of yet.
Here are five thoughts on the issue:
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* Tuesday insider practice notes
* Monday football practice insider notes
* McElwain talks suspensions and injuries
* Wire: Four-star has Florida on top
* Florida commit to take visits
* Four-star deciding this week
* On the Mark: Florida recruiting on a roll
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* Where is the line in the sand when it comes to Antonio Callaway?
In the midst of having his best off-season of his three years at Florida, standing in-front of a room full of reporters on Monday and justifying why Callaway was still a member of the team, or at least not in a lot hotter water, wasn't exactly a good look for Jim McElwain.
First and foremost - because it appears to those on the outside who see him commit transgression after transgression that either Callaway doesn't know the difference between right and wrong or he simply doesn't care.
Keep in mind you are talking about someone who was already on double secret probation (Animal House reference) after being arrested on a drug charge in May. He was supposed to be spending his summer atoning for that – just his latest issue – while walking the straight and narrow and meeting certain criteria laid out before him by McElwain.
Apparently, not stealing from the university wasn't on that list or if it was, perhaps – as he would say - he was too stoned to understand the conditions when they were laid out to him?
After-all, it has worked for him before.
Remember, that was the defense he used in part to beat a Title IX investigation into his actions with a Florida female student-athlete.
Don't get me wrong, McElwain knows Callaway better than any of us, myself included. I am sure he feels like he knows where the balance is between doing what is right for the player and the team.
However, at some point, enough is enough and if you don't take that next step punishment wise, you start to lose credibility.
* One size can't fit all in this situation.
What we know at this time is that all seven players are serving an indefinite suspension from football activities that will at least include the season opener against Michigan.
If everything is paid back and whatever other conditions – whatever they are – are met by that time, you would think that would be the end of it, punishment wise, for six of the seven players involved.
However, there is no way, based on everything hashed out above and more – that the six first time offenders should suffer the same punishment as Callaway.
If a first time offender suffers the same consequences as a repeat offender, then you can rest assured that the ability to help the team win was a factor when punishment was handed out.
* Steve Spurrier believes Callaway is on his last chance.
There are obviously many positives to having Spurrier return to Florida as an ambassador and consultant.
He is without question one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football and it isn't going out on much of a limb to call him the most beloved coach in Gators' football history.
The downside though, intended to or not, his words carry weight.
On Tuesday the Head Ball Coach told Sirius XM College Sports show, “I got a feeling this will be Antonio Callaway's last chance.”
Whether it was strictly his opinion or he received that indication from McElwain, it does sort of paint CJM into a corner.
The man who was the first to lead Florida to college football's greatest heights is on record saying that when it comes to Callaway's off the field issues, enough is enough.
Those words, coming from that man, hold a lot of sway.
If it weren't the last straw before, it certainly might have to be now.
* Spurrier isn't the only former Florida Gator making news this week.
Monday evening, on SEC Network's SEC Now, former Florida wide out and current SEC Network analyst Chris Doering hinted that the suspensions were handed down by Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin rather than by McElwain.
There may be something to that.
Though we don't know the exact time line – because Florida isn't going into it on the record – we do know that the issue didn't just take place this weekend. However, it wasn't until it became public that the suspensions were handed out.
As recently as last Thursday Callaway was at the front gate of the practice field – playing the part of a team leader – slapping hands while welcoming teammates to practice. When the issue became public, did Stricklin have to step in and hand down the punishment?
RELATED: Join the Callaway discussion on the Alley
* Yes, the suspensions will hurt Florida to some degree when facing Michigan in the season opener.
However, there are two things at play here. No. 1, Florida is deep at wide out. No. 2, it would have been a much bigger story had Callaway been allowed to play given his multiple issues. It would have brought back memories of when Urban Meyer was captain of the ship. Back to when off-the-field issues could be overlooked if you were an important enough piece of the puzzle. That negative publicity, as well as the message it would have sent, would have stung more than a potential loss without Callaway would.
In my opinion, who is really getting hurt the most here are those other six Florida football players. The ones who aren't going to be leaving early for the NFL after this season – as Callaway has intimated time and again on social media is his plan.
Those other six players are missing three weeks of practice.
That is a major setback to the development of a young player. That is almost the same as missing spring practices.
Without knowing the entire situation, the natural assumption here is that the upperclassman, you know, the one who has already had multiple issues, is the one to lead the underclassmen astray.
If that is indeed the case, it is a pity that one bad apple was allowed to overstay his welcome and as a result potentially ruin an entire batch.
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