Matt Stamey/staff photographer
At a time when the focus normally would be on developing talent and finding new starters at certain positions, including quarterback, the Florida football team finds itself coping with a potentially huge distraction and a PR nightmare thanks to the ongoing saga involving wide receiver Antonio Callaway.
Since last Friday, when the ESPN report came out that Callaway and former UF quarterback Treon Harris have been accused of sexual assault by a female student, the Gators have been making headlines across the country for all the wrong reasons.
Only adding to the overall negative perception about the school and the football program is the fact the alleged victim, her family and five witnesses boycotted Callaway’s student conduct code hearing Friday citing potential bias by the Jacksonville attorney hearing the case — a former track athlete at UF who earned his bachelor’s and law degrees at Florida and is a football booster.