Browns head coach said he punished a rookie player for not informing the team of marijuana citation by making him play an entire game
- Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson came up with an interesting punishment for rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway - forcing him to play through almost every offensive snap of the team's preseason opener.
- Callaway was punished for failing to inform his team that he had been cited for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.
- Playing 78% of the Browns' offensive snaps, Callaway finished the game with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway was cited for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license in early August. When he failed to inform the team of the infraction until the news broke, Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson came up with an interesting form of punishment - forcing Callaway to play the entirety of the Browns' preseason opener.
"That was part of the consequence of what he has been through, and he knows it. That is what it was," Jackson said of the decision. "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 would wind up on the field for 54 plays on Thursday night, playing 78% of the Browns' offensive snaps, and finish with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown from fellow rookie Baker Mayfield.
Jackson said he appreciated the effort Callaway put in through the punishment.
"He worked through it. 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," Jackson said. "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."
While Jackson might be pleased with how the punishment turned out, he might want to consider adjusting his methods if there are any further transgressions - after the game, Callaway would wind up with a rib injury that left him limited in practice on Sunday.