Failure to keep an employer informed often results in consequences.
Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway discovered that time-honored tradition after not telling the team he was cited for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license, both of which the team didn't find out about until news broke.
As a disciplinary measure, the Browns elected to keep Callaway in the preseason opener into the fourth quarter against the New York Giants.
"That was part of the consequence of what he has been through, and he knows it," coach Hue Jackson told reporters Sunday, via the Browns' official website. "That is what it was. Either you sit him or make him play. I thought it was better to make him play. Make him play as long as he could. There were a couple of times he kept waving to come out, and we said, 'No, stay in.'"
Callaway ended up with a team-high 54 snaps on offense -- 78 percent of the offensive plays -- and produced three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
While it is not common for players to see extended action in preseason action, Callaway's ability to respond to the disciplinary measure of additional playing time impressed his head coach.
"He worked through it," Jackson told reporters. "There were times he had his hands -- I am sure you saw it -- he had his hands on his head like this, and he was ready to go to the sideline. We said 'Uh-uh, you are back in there.' He fought through it, came out the other side of it and made some plays. That was good."
The Browns likely hope Callaway learned a lesson from the latest off-field incident when considering the team knew what they were getting.
Cleveland traded up to secure Callaway in the fourth round of the draft despite a number of well-documented issues during the wide receiver's time at Florida.
