Cleveland Browns receiver Antonio Callaway pleaded not guilty Sept. 27 to misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license related to an August traffic stop, according to NFL Network and Ohio.com.
Callaway was stopped at 2:59 a.m. on Aug. 5 in suburban Cleveland. Police found a small amount of marijuana in the car and learned Callaway was driving with a suspended license.
Callaway’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, said the marijuana was not Callaway’s.
“He’s emphatic that he did not possess marijuana,” Spellacy told Ohio.com.
Callaway told police his car had been shipped to him in Cleveland a few days before he was pulled over and that he was not aware there was marijuana in the car.
Spellacy attribute the suspended license to a paperwork issue caused by Callaway’s move from Florida to Ohio.
The Browns stood behind Callaway after the incident. His next court appearance is not yet set.
This is not Callaway’s first off-field incident. He also had a positive drug test at the NFL scouting combine caused by a diluted sample. That put him in the NFL and NFL Players Association’s substance abuse program.
A rookie fourth-round pick, Callaway has 10 receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown.
In a separate matter, the Browns placed cornerback Terrance Mitchell on injured reserve, though he likely will be designated to return. Mitchell had started every game this season, but broke his wrist in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss in Oakland.
Teams can designate two players to return from injured reserve during the season. The designation does not need to be made until the player returns to practice. Mitchell can return to practice in six weeks but has to miss a minimum of eight games.
To take his place on the roster, the team promoted Jeremiah McKinnon from the practice squad.