By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
Cleveland Browns rookie wide-receiver Antonio Callaway was driving at 2:59 a.m. on August 5 in Strongsville, Ohio when a police officer pulled him over for failing to yield to oncoming traffic. When the cop ran Callaway’s license, he discovered that it was suspended.
The officer also searched the vehicle and found a small amount of cannabis under the driver’s seat, enough to be classified as a minor misdemeanor. Callaway was issued citations for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.
But Callaway’s lawyer Kevin Spellacy is contesting the charges, saying that the football player’s license is valid and that the marijuana wasn’t his. According to the Spellacy, the .05 grams of marijuana that the officer retrieved from Callaway’s vehicle were put there prior to when it was delivered it only three days before.
“We contest that he possessed it,” Spellacy told cleveland.com. “We believe it was something that was left in his care [when] it was shipped up from Florida. Other people had access who had used his car.”
The attorney also says that the suspended license is just a misunderstanding.
“His license is valid, he had an outstanding ticket that had to be paid,” said Spellacy. “He had actually paid the ticket, but the paperwork had not been sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles. They kind of crossed in the mail, so to speak. The infraction was taken care of, but the paperwork hadn’t caught up.”
21-year-old Callaway is currently in Stage 1 of the NFL’s substance abuse program as a result of his dilute urine specimen at the organization’s combine earlier this year and is subject to random drug testing. Callaway admitted to smoking cannabis prior to the week-long scouting event.
Further violations could result in him losing 3/17 of his $480,000 base salary or being put into Stage 2 and subjected to stricter regulations.
Callaway’s hearing was initially scheduled for 8:30 a.m. On August 23, but Spellacy submitted a continuance request via fax, and the proceedings were rescheduled for September 20 at the Mayor’s Court in Strongsville.
