Florida allows 4 suspended players to rejoin team activities
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Running back Jordan Scarlett and three other Florida players suspended last season amid felony fraud charges have rejoined team activities.
School officials confirmed the return of the players Tuesday to The Associated Press.
"All of our players understand the standards and expectations we have of them to be members of the Florida football program," Florida coach Dan Mullen said in a statement.
Receiver Rick Wells and linebackers James Houston and Ventrell Miller also are enrolled in school and expected to take part in team workouts Wednesday.
A fifth player, defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis, is enrolled but is recovering from injuries sustained in a scooter accident last fall.
Those five players and two others -- receiver Antonio Callaway and defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones -- entered a pretrial intervention program in late October that could result in the dismissal of felony credit card fraud charges. The players needed to make restitution and comply with probation protocols over a 12-month period to get the charges dropped without any legal findings.
The seven were charged with fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft. Each of them made one charge with a stolen credit card number, ranging in value from $500 to $2,000, authorities said.
Two others -- defensive end Jordan Smith and offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort -- made multiple purchases using multiple stolen cards, police said.
All nine missed the entire 2017 season and needed to go before the university's Student Code of Conduct Committee in order to return to the team in any capacity.
Callaway, Desir-Jones, Smith and Telfort have moved on from Florida. Callaway entered the NFL draft; the others have expressed intentions to transfer.
Scarlett is the most notable of the four players rejoining team activities. Scarlett was the team's leading rusher in 2016. According to police, he transferred $1,940 from a stolen credit card to his girlfriend's bookstore account. He told his girlfriend the money came from an agent in New York.
