Posted: June-16-2009 at 2:06pm | IP Logged	Tweet

As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friends"!

This deal was acceptable to the victim's family. Donte not only stopped when he hit this man, who by the way was not in a crosswalk, but has shown tremendous remorse. He even had time to flash his lights as a warning that his vehicle was approaching, but somehow, this unfortunate soul was still not out of the way when Donte got there.

The family pushed hard for a speedy sentence/settlement, with "settlement" being the operative word here.

I don't condone one bit what Donte did, but when you look at the big picture, it would certainly appear to me that the family of the victim went for the dough and not a stiff sentence. What exactly does that say for them? No amount of money is going to bring their loved one back, yet they set sail in that direction almost immediately, not Stallworth.

Here is the most recent piece I could find regarding this tragedy:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4262751

One more thing: Donte Stallworth will not only receive a 30 day jail sentence, but will be on probation for ten years. He will be under house arrest for two of those years, and he is now under a lifetime driving ban, which he could regain in 5 years but soley for the purpose of traveling to and from work.

Here's my other problem with all of this. Are the courts not the final word anymore? Why does the NFL feel the need to continue to punish those players who have "paid their debt to society"? Is 10 years that was agreeable by the victim's family not enough for the NFL or is the NFL now the nation's higher court? I do not agree with that at all at any level. If this had happened to a coal miner, there'd be a riot if the company didn't put the man back to work after serving an agreed upon sentence. I think there needs to be an intervention by the courts with regards to those companies/organizations/leagues that think they still feel the need to punish a man after he's served his sentence.

The NFL has stiff rules and penalties for hitting a man while they're down. I think it's time they practice what they so often preach.

Posted: June-16-2009 at 8:39pm | IP Logged	Tweet

money was all they were after guess money does buy happiness even at the cost of a loved one

Posted: June-16-2009 at 10:10pm | IP Logged	Tweet

BugMan wrote: One more thing: Donte Stallworth will not only receive a 30 day jail sentence, but will be on probation for ten years. He will be under house arrest for two of those years, and he is now under a lifetime driving ban, which he could regain in 5 years but soley for the purpose of traveling to and from work. Here's my other problem with all of this. Are the courts not the final word anymore? Why does the NFL feel the need to continue to punish those players who have "paid their debt to society"? Is 10 years that was agreeable by the victim's family not enough for the NFL or is the NFL now the nation's higher court? I do not agree with that at all at any level. If this had happened to a coal miner, there'd be a riot if the company didn't put the man back to work after serving an agreed upon sentence. I think there needs to be an intervention by the courts with regards to those companies/organizations/leagues that think they still feel the need to punish a man after he's served his sentence.

It's just a slap in the face to the average American citizen, to see Stallworth is only being sentenced to 30 days in jail. Sure, there's the two years of house arrest and 10 years of probation. I'm sure some won't agree with me, but I think Stallworth should be locked up and the keys thrown away for driving while under the influence and killing the man. I don't care what kind of remorse Stallworth is showing. The bottom line is, because of his stupidity (getting behind the wheel under the influence of either alcohol or drugs) he killed someone. He should NEVER be allowed to drive again!!!!!

I hope I never have a loved one get killed by either a drunken driver or a driver under the influence of drugs, because trust me ... I will do anything/everything in my power to hopefully see the guilty party never sees the outside of a jail cell. The loss of life of one of my family members, there's no dollar figure to replace them.

Posted: June-16-2009 at 10:11pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Van_84 wrote: If you have money, it makes a difference. There is a LONG line of celebrities, athletes, and rich-and-famous types that get off with a slap on the wrist.

You're so right, "Van_84." And it's definitely not right, either.

Posted: June-17-2009 at 6:57am | IP Logged	Tweet

Understand something here. I in no way approve of what Donte Stallworth did. I don't drink anymore so I don't have to worry about getting behind the wheel of a car and something like this happening.

I also understand RW why you would want to put em away forever and throw away the lock and key. I would too. The punishment obviously doesn't fit the crime because Donte is in the NFL. I also have a huge problem with the NFL thinking they continually have to punish players after their sentences by the courts. Vick is a perfect example. He paid his debt to society at the federal level and the league still wants to punish him? At some point, you have to let a man move on.

Posted: June-17-2009 at 3:12pm | IP Logged	Tweet

We'll agree to disagree on some of this I'm sure Van84. You see, I don't hold anyone to a higher standard as all are created equal. I believe it's one's personal choice to uphold folks like actors, professional athletes, etc. to a higher standard. They're no better or no worse than the next person in my eyes. Judging a person because of whom they are isn't the right thing, which obviously has today's society a bit fouled up don't you think?

I'm fully aware that certain individuals can influence the outcome of an unfortunate situation just like this one. I'm not that naive. The problem I do have however, is that if an employer or league such as the NFL is not going to continue to employ a person after they've paid their debt to society, they should be up front about it. What the NFL is doing is basically saying that they might continue to employ them, but only after they have their way with them...all of this after they've been in prison for Pete's sake. I just don't agree with that method. I mean it's all relative. Sure the professionals make alot of money, but in comparison the common man is going to get hurt just as bad if a company leads them on, only to drop them like a hot potato when they could've just said up front they've washed their hands of the individual to begin with.

This man made a deal quickly because the victim's family wanted it that way. Did it influence the eventual outcome? You betcha. I really believe had the family let the system handle it, that Donte Stallworth would've been behind bars for a very long time.

The bottom line is that we have glorified athletes and actors/actresses and many others to the point where it's all twisted. Why anyone would be surprised and/or outraged by the Stallworth decision is beyond me. It's not like it hasn't happened before many times over.

Posted: June-17-2009 at 3:29pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Here's the latest on Stallworth:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=4267011

The piece is dead on, which supports what I stated in my last post. Nothing the NFL does is going to have much of an effect anyway compared to the burden Donte will carry the rest of his life, so why even go there?

Posted: July-12-2009 at 6:26am | IP Logged	Tweet

Brocephus wrote: He actually got out in 24 days... I guarantee if I had done that, I'd be in Brushy for the next 5 to 15...

That would be quite the punishment Brocephus, especially since Brushy is now closed

Posted: July-12-2009 at 12:32pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Oh man... I live 10 minutes from there and forgot about it being closed...