Florida’s Antonio Callaway cited for marijuana possession

Florida Gators wide receiver Antonio Callaway was cited for marijuana possession early on the morning of May 13, according to Alachua County court records.

Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times was first to break the story.

Per the Gainesville Police Department incident report, a GPD officer stopped a black Mercedes SUV for a seat belt violation, then “smelled fresh cannabis.” Upon approaching the car, the officer observed Callaway in the rear seat of the vehicle, asked him to step out of the car, and patted him down, discovering a baggie of marijuana in the process.

The officer also asked another passenger from the back seat to exit the vehicle, and another officer learned during his pat-down of that passenger that he had stashed marijuana under the driver’s seat. Callaway and that passenger admitted ownership of the marijuana.

Callaway was charged with two counts of misdemeanor marjiuana possession in court documents filed Wednesday, and was given a notice to appear on June 6.

Callaway previously admitted to smoking marijuana on the night of his alleged sexual assault of a woman as part of a student conduct code hearing that ultimately found him not responsible for sexual assault.

While marijuana possession remains a crime in the state of Florida, it is increasingly handled without arrests, with citations taking the place of bringing citizens into custody. Former Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession in May 2014, for example, in a case so unremarkable that it was not reported publicly until July 2014, when Tabor received a deferred prosecution agreement as his punishment, and it is unclear whether he was arrested.

Tabor did not face any additional punishment from Florida for that citation, though that came in the final year of Will Muschamp’s tenure as head coach. Florida running back Jordan Scarlett, however, was cited for marijuana possession in December 2015, and suspended by Jim McElwain for Florida’s Citrus Bowl loss to Michigan as a result.

With another game against Michigan looming as Florida’s next, it will be curious to see whether that standard for punishment for a marijuana possession citation remains in effect.

Update, 12:53 p.m.: In a statement, Florida says McElwain “is aware of (Callaway’s citation), and it is being dealt with.”