Antonio Callaway was pulled over by police on August 5th in Strongsville, Ohio, as officers noted there was a smell of weed coming from the vehicle along with gun parts found inside the car. According to TMZ, the incident occurred at 2:59 a.m. Eastern.
The video starts out with the audio of a police officer explaining the person pulled over is a Browns player, and noting there is an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle so it needs to be checked out. The officers ask Callaway if someone else was in the car, but Callaway explains he had practice all day.
At this point, Callaway is outside of the vehicle, and the officers ask him if he has a gun, noting there is a back strap to a glock on the drivers side of the car near the floorboard. Callaway admits he has a gun in Florida, but not in the vehicle. The officer pats Callaway down, and does not find anything. He then tells Callaway he is just going to write him a speeding ticket, and he is free to get back in the car.
The video then shows the officer talking to what sounds to be another policeman. The first officer notes that Callaway is a wide receiver, and “fast as sh–.” He also admits he got “real nervous” when he saw the strap and found spare gun rounds located in the car.
The second officer notes that Callaway claimed the car was just shipped up from Florida, and his brother was using it. He also noted his brother “smokes dope.” The officer admits he is not sure if this is true, and the first officer say its “plausible” but hard to tell what the truth is in the situation. The first officer notes that the marijuana remains were stuffed underneath the seat, and admitted Callaway had been “polite” throughout the process.
At the end of the video, the first officer tells Callaway he will have to appear in court because of the type of ticket, then apologizes.
“[We] stumbled into this. Really just trying to find drunk drivers,” the officer tells Callaway.
Antonio Callaway Found Himself in Trouble While Playing at Florida
Part of the reason Callaway fell to the fourth round in the 2018 draft was some of the off-field woes that plagued the receiver at Florida. Callaway is a versatile athlete who proved he has the potential to be a starting wide receiver, while also being explosive in the return game. According to SEC Country, Callaway was involved (along with several other Gators players) in a credit card scam, issues with marijuana and sexual assault allegations that he was later cleared.
Prior to the draft, one NFL scout called Callaway a “train wreck” because of the off-field issues. NFL.com detailed what this scout along with others had to say about Callaway prior to the draft.
“He is super talented. The tape from his sophomore season’s really good,” the scout said of Callaway, who had 89 catches for 1,399 yards and scored eight touchdowns over two years with the Gators. “But he is a train wreck when it comes to some of that off-field stuff. Poor decision-making at every turn.”
Said an NFC scout: “Honestly, I think the credit card thing is the least of his transgressions. The drug issues that he’s had are higher on the list.” An AFC scout said Callaway admitted in a combine interview to smoking marijuana about six weeks earlier — which wouldn’t be a big deal except that it follows the pattern that has taken him here.
“He’s not a bad kid, either. He’s just been around a lot of trouble,” the AFC scout said. “And he admits to the fact that trouble finds him. He just hangs with the wrong people. It’s a shame, because he’s ridiculously talented.”
After his suspension last year, Callaway went home to Miami, rather than sticking around with other implicated teammates to fulfill his end of an agreement about what it would take to return to the team. He did return to campus for pro day, but “didn’t look like he was in shape or ready,” said one NFL team official who attended. “He’s not a player I would trust long-term.”
After his latest incident with police, the Browns are being criticized for “punishing” Callaway by playing him in the majority of the Browns first NFL preseason game. If you’re interested, you can watch the full police video below, or the abbreviated TMZ clips at the top of the page.
