Seven of nine suspended Florida players entering pre-trial diversion
All but two of the nine Florida players suspended because of credit card fraud allegations will enter a pre-trial diversion program.
According to the Associated Press, wide receiver Antonio Callaway, defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis, DL Richerd Desir-Jones, linebacker James Houston, linebacker Ventrell Miller, running back Jordan Scarlett and wide receiver Rick Wells were offered the diversion program. Each of the seven is alleged to have made a charge with a stolen credit card number.
State Attorney Bill Cervone filed paperwork with the Alachua County court Thursday that showed the outcome of a monthlong investigation. The players will need to make restitution and comply with probation protocols over the next 12 months to get the charges dropped without any legal findings. The intervention agreements still need to be approved by a judge in the coming weeks.
The two Gator players not entering the program are DL Jordan Smith and offensive lineman Kadeem Telfort. Both Smith and Telfort are facing the most felony fraud charges of the suspended players.
The players are alleged to have used credit card numbers that weren’t theirs to bolster their school accounts.
The seven players’ presence in the pre-trial diversion doesn’t automatically guarantee they’ll be back on the team in the near future. According to coach Jim McElwain, there’s still student conduct proceedings to go through.
Gators coach Jim McElwain on suspended players: "There are still steps to go that include the university student conduct code."
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) October 26, 2017
Florida plays No. 3 Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville. Callaway was the team’s leading receiver in 2016 while Scarlett rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns a year ago.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
