Ex-Gators get second chances

GAINESVILLE — They were former Florida Gators stars back in town following career-changing mistakes and a season out of football.

Receiver Antonio Callaway and defensive back Matt Elam took different paths to reach UF’s Pro Day Wednesday.

Each now seeks the same thing from NFL teams: a second chance.

“I mean, they already know I’m a good athlete,” Callaway said. “Just know I’m not a bad person.”

Elam hopes to send similar message.

“People make mistakes in life,” Elam said. “One mistake doesn’t define a person. It’s what you do with that second chance.

“That defines what type of person you really are.”

Callaway and Elam insist they have learned from their past, matured and will make an NFL team glad it gave them an opportunity.

“Whoever takes a shot with me, I’m giving it everything I’ve got,” Callaway said. “They ain’t going to be disappointed.”

The 21-year-old Miami native knows he let down himself and his teammates last season after UF suspended him and eight other players during an investigation for felony credit-card fraud. This came after Callaway was cited for marijuana the previous spring and suspended amid a 2016 Title IX investigation for sexual battery that ended with him found not responsible. a

Callaway was not surprised earlier this month NFL teams at the Scouting Combine focused on his offthe-field missteps rather than the impressive 4.41-second 40-yard dash he ran in Indianapolis.

“All of them asked me the same thing: about my past,” Callaway said.

Elam’s past at one time seemed so promising.

Five years ago, he shined during UF’s Pro Day after earning first-team AllAmerica honors for the 2012 Gators.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Elam during the first round of the draft.

But Elam struggled following a solid rookie season and lost his starting job. He then spent the 2015 season on injured reserve and appeared in just nine games a year later.

The Ravens already had decided not to re-sign Elam when he was stopped Feb. 26, 2017, in Miami Beach, arrested and booked for multiple drug charges. Three months later, Elam was arrested for grand theft and battery in Palm Beach County.

Charges in both cases ultimately were dismissed, but the damage to Elam’s reputation remained.

The 26-year-old Palm Beach Gardens native fought back tears Wednesday as he recalled his hard fall.

“I let a lot of people down. It’s very important to me. It’s tough,” Elam said.

“If I get another opportunity, I’ve got to take advantage.”