GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida head coach Jim McElwain clarified Monday at a press conference that the seven players who were suspended Sunday from the team's season opener against Michigan are suspended indefinitely and cannot participate in any team activities.

One of the key requirements for the players' return will be making financial restitution for a misuse of school-issued funds, the issue that triggered their suspensions.

Among them was star receiver Antonio Callaway, who has had various off-field issues during his time at Florida. McElwain, who had praised Callaway in the spring for making strides off the field, has since seen the receiver cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession (he pled to a lesser paraphrenalia possession charge) and now suspended for this incident.

"Absolutely," McElwain responded, asked if there would be a limit to the number of chances Callaway would get. "And yet at the same time, the individual circumstances, they'll be handled and dealt with for the severity that it is.

"The one thing I will do is I'll continue to help. I'll continue to be there. I'll continue to support. But obviously the consequences, you make your own bed, man. I would imagine that some of you might have dealt with that at some point in your life in different things that you've done or even had to do from that standpoint, and yet I'll never turn my back on anybody. That's not what it's all about."

The players involved, to varying degrees, were involved in using school-issued funds allotted for specific use to purchase electronics. Some players then sold those electronics.

Some players have already returned the electronics or repaid the cost of the improper purchases, while others still need to make full restitution.

"Obviously any time there's choices made, you've got to make up for whatever happened," McElwain said. "These guys are doing that.

"And yet, it's guys that made choices and then what do you do? You take something away that really means something to them. The one thing, it doesn't matter who you're disciplining, what is it that really means something to them? In this case, their ability not to be around the team. They’re not, obviously, going to go play in one of the greatest places, stadiums, there is, on national television. Those are things that hurt."

Missing most of fall camp and the lead-in to the season will likely put the players behind others in terms of learning curve. Of the seven players suspended, four were freshmen: OT Kadeem Telfort, DE Jordan Smith, LB James Houston and LB Ventrell Miller. The other two suspended are junior defensive end Keivonnis Davis and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Richerd Desir-Jones.

McElwain said them missing the time they will will be "significant" in terms of how it affects their outlook for playing time in the 2017 season.

"I just know in these guys' case it's going to be detrimental from that standpoint, and yet they've got to understand that there's consequences," he said.

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