Browns' wide receiver commits DUI manslaughter; receives 30 days, slap on wrist

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The attorney for Dont Stallworth said he sees no reason the Browns receiver will not be able to resume his NFL career after serving a 30-day jail sentence for DUI manslaughter and a likely suspension by the league.

Chris Lyons, a former Miami-Dade (Fla.) prosecutor who represents Stallworth, has no idea how harsh a penalty NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will impose.

Stallworth, 28, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning before Judge Dennis Murphy and was immediately taken into custody.

A league spokesman said Goodell is expected to act before training camp starts. The Browns report July 31, with their first practice Aug. 1.

Operating under the substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies, Goodell could wield a firm hand. If a player is convicted or admits to a violation of the law regarding alcohol, the substance-abuse policy gives the commissioner more leverage when there are aggravating circumstances, which include serious injury or death of a third party.

''The Browns are very conscious of the seriousness of the
charges to which Donte' Stallworth pleaded guilty to today,'' Browns General Manager George Kokinis said. ''We are continuing to evaluate the situation and will make the decisions that we believe are in the best interest of the Cleveland Browns.''

Stallworth admitted to driving drunk March 14 when he struck and killed pedestrian Mario Reyes, 59, in Miami Beach. Stallworth's blood-alcohol level was .126, above the legal limit of .08, according to documents released by the State Attorney's Office. According to the police report, Reyes was not in the crosswalk on the MacArthur Causeway as he ran to catch a bus.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported two years ago that Stallworth was part of the league's substance-abuse program. Players in Stage Two face at least a four-game suspension for violations of the program, and those in Stage Three are banned from the league for a year. Those in Stage Two can rotate out of the program after two years of compliance.

St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 1998, when his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit during an accident that killed a woman. Leonard was suspended for eight games by then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Long probation

According to a release from the State Attorney's Office, Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail, two years of ''community control'' and eight more years of probation.

Lyons said that it is essentially a 10-year probation, and that there will be ''no electronic monitoring or home detention'' during the first two years. Lyons said he expected Stallworth to serve 23 or 24 days in jail, getting out early for ''gain time.''

Janelle Hall, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department, said gain time involves work around the jail and good behavior.

The state statute says anyone who receives a 30-day sentence — except for civil, contempt, drug treatment and house-arrest cases — gets five days for every 30 days.

''He does get 24 days,'' Hall said. ''He does not fall into any of those [exceptions].''

No minimun security

Hall said Stallworth is expected to be housed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She said the county does not have a minimum-security facility.

According to the state attorney's release, Stallworth will also lose his driving privileges for life and must perform 1,000 hours of community service. He must donate $2,500 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and $2,500 to Parents of Murdered Children, and pay $1,842.88 to the Miami Beach Police Department, $813.14 to the Miami-Dade Police Department and $583 in court costs.

''We're very pleased,'' Lyons said. ''The four-year mandatory sentence was waived by the court. The judicial range is over 10 years for this type of charge.''

The maximum sentence was 15 years.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle issued a statement regarding what some might see as leniency in Stallworth's case.

''We have looked at the unique facts involved with this charge, Mr. Stallworth's excellent pre-incident history of community service, abundant references that attest to his good character, his lack of any traffic violations or criminal convictions, his full and complete post-incident cooperation with law enforcement and his willingness to accept complete responsibility for his actions,'' Rundle said.

''The terms of the plea have been agreed upon between the State Attorney's Office and the police, and has been extended with the full endorsement and consent of the Reyes family, who believe this plea and its timing are in the best interest of their 15-year-old daughter, the sole remaining child of Mario Reyes. Although no sentence can ever restore Mr. Reyes to his family, the provisions of this plea will provide closure to them and appropriate punishment for Mr. Stallworth's conduct and the effects of his actions that night.''

Confidential agreement

Lyons confirmed that Stallworth reached a confidential financial settlement with the Reyes family that prohibits them from filing a civil or wrongful-death suit.

Stallworth was scheduled to receive a $4.5 million roster bonus March 13 from the Browns.

''The Reyes family wanted closure,'' Lyons said. ''In court, they read letters from the family expressing that.''
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Yes, I'm sure it has something to do with his clean record that his sentence is only 30 days.
 
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'We're very pleased,'' Lyons said. ''The four-year mandatory sentence was waived by the court. The judicial range is over 10 years for this type of charge.''

:bomb:
fucking lawyers, I guess if you have the money you can get away with murder.
 
So uh, anyone want to explain how what Michael Vick did was worse? I mean...other than pissing off PETA. I'm not condoning any of it. But it's a little ridiculous to throw the book at a guy for smoking weed and causing the death of some animals, when a guy who drinks, gets behind the wheel, endangers many, and kills a human being gets hardly anything.
 
Sorry I was drunk this one time, and ya, I killed someone while driving totally shit faced, but coooooooome onnnnnnnnnnnn. I'm a good guy, let it go.

Ok, but just this one time.

sweet.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']So uh, anyone want to explain how what Michael Vick did was worse? I mean...other than pissing off PETA. I'm not condoning any of it. But it's a little ridiculous to throw the book at a guy for smoking weed and causing the death of some animals, when a guy who drinks, gets behind the wheel, endangers many, and kills a human being gets hardly anything.[/QUOTE]

It mainly had a lot to do with the fact Vick was actually planning all of the dog fights in his basement and he didnt have a clean record and never came forward to the police.

Dante might of done something just as bad with killing a man, but you have to remember that the guy he hit was crossing in the middle of the highway. It wasnt as if the guy was at a crosswalk or by a light.

And his sentence also included 2 years house arrest and something like 8 years probation I believe. He also lost his license for life.
I am not defending him, just letting you know a little more of the facts even though what he did was still terrible.
 
It also had to do with the fact that the guy ran out in front of his car nowhere near a cross-walk, it was an accident, he made peace with the guy's family
 
[quote name='Cracka']It also had to do with the fact that the guy ran out in front of his car nowhere near a cross-walk, it was an accident, he made peace with the guy's family[/QUOTE]

Can you hear my eyes rolling? No? Well, let me fix your sentence:

"...he paid both the judge and the family a large sum of money."

You don't accidentally blow a .126
 
[quote name='Blinkster']
Dante might of done something just as bad with killing a man, but you have to remember that the guy he hit was crossing in the middle of the highway. It wasnt as if the guy was at a crosswalk or by a light.
[/QUOTE]

Seriously? I think most people outside of the PETA camp would probably feel DUI Manslaughter is a good stretch worse than what Mike Vick did. Not that I'm condoning what Vick did, I'm just saying Stallworth got away with murder (relatively speaking). I know the guy ran out of nowhere, but if you get drunk and get behind the wheel of the car, in my mind you are culpable for whatever you do. No exceptions.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']So uh, anyone want to explain how what Michael Vick did was worse? I mean...other than pissing off PETA. I'm not condoning any of it. But it's a little ridiculous to throw the book at a guy for smoking weed and causing the death of some animals, when a guy who drinks, gets behind the wheel, endangers many, and kills a human being gets hardly anything.[/QUOTE]

Very good point. Yet, I bet the backlash on Stallworth will be nothing compared to what Vick got (not to condone Vick at all). It's damn shameful IMO.
 
What gets me about the comparisons here between him and Vick is that Stallworth is likely to come out of this with his career intact, after serving his "24 days", while Vick, who served n number of months, will likely never play again. Vick went to jail, paid for his crimes (through jail time, monetary losses, loss of his career and respect), and yet people STILL want to deride him. I'm not defending what he did by any means, but at the same time, at what point does one get another chance when they have obviously paid their dues?
 
I think the public mentality behind it is, the dogs are forced to fight to the death, no one forced that guy to run across the highway in the night(was he drunk as well?).

You are an adult so pay the fuck attention to what you are doing while crossing the street and in general, for both parties here.

The dogs on the other hand were tortured to a degree and then forced to fight for their lives, many, many times.

A completely non drinking person could have smacked that guy. It was continuously pre meditated with Vick.

I really don't think 30 days is enough, but whatever this shit always happens.
 
Dog fighting is a felony in most states and Vick was part of a interstate dogfighting operation. The fact that it crossed state lines is what got the feds involved and then the judge felt Vick was being dishonest about his actual involvement in the ring so his sentence was not reduced like the other co-defendents.

I'm not saying that killing a man due to drunk driving is not worse than dogfighting, but the circumstances are completely different.
 
I guess a human life in Florida is worth less than dogs lives in Virginia. That is what it amounts to.

I don't care if the other guy in the street was drunk or if Dante didn't mean to kill the guy, you still have a dead man. He should have at least served the "mandatory" 4 year sentence. Judicial discretion is fine most of the time, but this is ridiculous.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']I guess a human life in Florida is worth less than dogs lives in Virginia. That is what it amounts to.

I don't care if the other guy in the street was drunk or if Dante didn't mean to kill the guy, you still have a dead man. He should have at least served the "mandatory" 4 year sentence. Judicial discretion is fine most of the time, but this is ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

Naaahhh, cmon. I'm not saying Stallworth didn't get off easy and deserved at least a year behind bars, but you can easily see it's more then whether or not a dog is more valuable then a person. The circumstances were different, Stallworth was involved in an accident while Vick was not. Furthermore, it definitely sounded like Stallworth was remorseful while Vick smoked some weed because he was depressed. A lot of different things to consider in these two cases.
 
[quote name='mr ryles']Sorry I was drunk this one time, and ya, I killed someone while driving totally shit faced, but coooooooome onnnnnnnnnnnn. I'm a good guy, let it go.

Ok, but just this one time.

sweet.[/QUOTE]

That sums it up well. The Defense probably just consisted of a highlight reel of his career.

[quote name='rabbitt']Can you hear my eyes rolling? No? Well, let me fix your sentence:

"...he paid both the judge and the family a large sum of money."

You don't accidentally blow a .126[/QUOTE]

.126?! I really don't understand how someone can be that intoxicated and think they are ok to drive. I do understand people being angry that he got off for this, but things like this happen every day with regular people that get the same punishment. I like that they made an example of Burress, but I guess there are too many examples of DUI.
 
[quote name='ArthurDigbySellers']Dog fighting is a felony in most states and Vick was part of a interstate dogfighting operation. The fact that it crossed state lines is what got the feds involved and then the judge felt Vick was being dishonest about his actual involvement in the ring so his sentence was not reduced like the other co-defendents.

I'm not saying that killing a man due to drunk driving is not worse than dogfighting, but the circumstances are completely different.[/QUOTE]

This.

You all are making comparisons in terms of the body count, but the fact is the charges faced and the context of the events, plus judicial discretion, factor in.

It's not a wholly class-based argument - otherwise Vick would have been in the same boat, no?

Right.

Knowing someone who has done this very thing (though sober), it's hard enough to realize you just hit and killed a person. Knowing that they were suicidal doesn't make life easier, but it makes avoiding charges a bit easier. My friend had that luxury - Stallworth does not.

Too many of you are strictly looking at the end result without much of an understanding of how the criminal justice system operates.
 
30 days in jail, 10 years probation, he can never drive again. if the judge and family are satisfied then does anything else matter?
 
He can get a license to drive back and forth to work so it's not like he's completely banned from operating a motor vehicle. Also, the man makes millions. IF he plays his cards right, he can have a driver for the rest of his life.

I think it comes down to this. He paid the family a large sum that a regular person could never come up with. The only reason they didn't push this is because they know the dude was a dumbass for running across a six lane highway in the middle of the night. The dude that did it handing them a huge check so they just shut up and go away. Any of us would've served 4 years plus and the family would've been all over the news begging for justice.

Money buys all in our criminal justice system. It really does. Ask O.J., R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, and Kobe.
 
I think it's a severe enough sentence. Especially for a first offense, for being forthcoming with the police, obvious remorse, and the mitigating factors. Think of the money he paid the family as life insurance paying off, and not a bribe.

And Vick's crime was far worse. He ran an interstate criminal enterprise, and covered it up.

Apples to oranges.
 
[quote name='Quillion']I think it's a severe enough sentence. Especially for a first offense, for being forthcoming with the police, obvious remorse, and the mitigating factors. Think of the money he paid the family as life insurance paying off, and not a bribe.

[/QUOTE]

another good point. stallworth is the one that pulled over and called police. this wasnt a hit and run or anything like that.
 
Stop Comparing Donte’s Sentence To Michael Vick’s

We’re two days removed from Donte’ Stallworth’s apostrophe-deficient plea deal with the state of Florida that saw the Cleveland Browns wide receiver cop to manslaughter in exchange for serving a whopping 30 days in jail. Personally, I’ve spent more time in jail on tours, visiting friends, and shooting my new adult film, Cops And Cradle Robbers 7, available at finer adult video stores near you.
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='ArthurDigbySellers']Dog fighting is a felony in most states and Vick was part of a interstate dogfighting operation. The fact that it crossed state lines is what got the feds involved and then the judge felt Vick was being dishonest about his actual involvement in the ring so his sentence was not reduced like the other co-defendents.

I'm not saying that killing a man due to drunk driving is not worse than dogfighting, but the circumstances are completely different.[/QUOTE]

That's bullshit. The only thing the "judge felt" was PETA breathing down his neck. I'm not condoning what Vick did for a second, but anyone who says that he wasn't made an example because of who he was and what he was is an idiot. I don't even have a problem with the punishment Vick received (as I do believe the crime was something very serious). My problem is with the consistency of the court system.

We don't have laws and standards so the judges in this country can go around playing favorites and working agendas. If what Vick got is how you want to punish people for dog fighting and animal cruelty, fine. But what about the 12, 14, and 16 year old boys from Guadalupe, TX who tortured that one girl's 5 month old puppy? These little bastards stole the dog, threw him out of a 2nd story window multiple times, hung him from a tree and beat him like a pinata, and then decapitated him. And yet...Michael Vick was the sick one?

Granted, none of this relates to Stallworth, other than being a reminder of how bad Vick was hammered. Under "typical" circumstances (for a celebrity anyway), Vick probably would have gotten off with something similar to what Stallworth got. But unfortunately, there is no PETH group, for people to act as fanatical about the life of a human being. Sure, the victim here did something stupid, but that doesn't negate the fact that Stallworth was doing something illegal. The reason driving drunk is illegal is because shit like this can happen.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Stop Comparing Donte’s Sentence To Michael Vick’s[/QUOTE]

Well, this would be the selling point right here.

The big issue centered around a wrinkle in Florida’s DUI laws referred to as “causation,” meaning that if the drunk driver is involved in a crash, that driver is not necessarily responsible if the other party contributed to that crash.
Click to expand...

I can't say that I agree with that law (though it IS the law). If your reaction time is significantly hindered by the amount of alcohol in your system, how can you pin responsibility for the accident on the other person, who is committing a FAR LESS serious crime. I hope Florida also writes every jaywalker a ticket then. It sounds like a defense attorney drew up that law.
 
yeah even with all that diff facts of the case 30 days does seem pretty light. he was driving drunk and if he hadnt been maybe he wuldnt have killed the guy buy i believe they said the person he hit was running across the street possibly to try and catch a bus or something and after he hit him he stayed there and he is said to have made ammends with the victims family which is good but i still have to wonder if it was joe avg who did that would any of us have gotten off so lightly ? id also be interested to know if he gave the family any money.
 
[quote name='lokizz']yeah even with all that diff facts of the case 30 days does seem pretty light. he was driving drunk and if he hadnt been maybe he wuldnt have killed the guy buy i believe they said the person he hit was running across the street possibly to try and catch a bus or something and after he hit him he stayed there and he is said to have made ammends with the victims family which is good but i still have to wonder if it was joe avg who did that would any of us have gotten off so lightly ? id also be interested to know if he gave the family any money.[/QUOTE]

Of course he gave the family money!!! LOL...WTF??? What do you think he said?

"I'm sorry I killed your husband/father with my $300,000 car, while I was out boozing it up and living the life of luxury... So, are we done here?"

The "average joe" would easily be spending a few years in prison. Stallworth got off on the fact that he wronged somebody who needed his money. Simple as that.

EDIT - READING ARE FUNDAMENTAL...:dunce:
 
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[quote name='mykevermin']This.

You all are making comparisons in terms of the body count, but the fact is the charges faced and the context of the events, plus judicial discretion, factor in.

It's not a wholly class-based argument - otherwise Vick would have been in the same boat, no?

Right.

Knowing someone who has done this very thing (though sober), it's hard enough to realize you just hit and killed a person. Knowing that they were suicidal doesn't make life easier, but it makes avoiding charges a bit easier. My friend had that luxury - Stallworth does not.

Too many of you are strictly looking at the end result without much of an understanding of how the criminal justice system operates.[/QUOTE]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have had a family member killed by a drunk driver and that is where I draw my feelings from. Until someone has been there they really can't understand how it feels.
 
I just read a good comment in that blog that javery linked to that made me think. I think the real reason people are comparing this case to Michael Vick is because Vick was the last person in the NFL to get in serious trouble, and he was hammered. It's one of the few cases of a celebrity honestly being treated fairly (ie. NOT like a celebrity). And now here we are with Stallworth, and things seem to be "back to normal".

It's almost disappointing just in the fact that it seemed like progress was being made on the "everyone is equal in the eyes of the justice system" front. And now we've been snapped back to the reality that money talks. The next thing you know, Michael Jackson will be paying the parents of young boys to allow them to "sleep over" at his house. Oh wait...
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']
EDIT - In other not really related, but kinda news, former MLB outfielder Mel Hall was sentenced to 45 days in prison for raping a 12 year old girl and sexually abusing 3 girls. Feel free to jump on me for drawing comparisons to the recent case of the 4 teenage boys who sodomized their class mate with a hockey stick down in Texas (WTF is wrong with Texas?). The courts decided to try these boys as adults, and suggested a sentence of 120 years in prison (collectively). Why in the hell does a grown man who should ABSOLUTELY understand the severity of his actions get more leniency than four kids who hardly know what sex is? This shit is starting to get ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

45 days? 45 days?!

Try 45 years.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/48286077.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiacyKUUr
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']

EDIT - In other not really related, but kinda news, former MLB outfielder Mel Hall was sentenced to 45 days in prison for raping a 12 year old girl and sexually abusing 3 girls.[/QUOTE]

I think you read that wrong, everywhere I've seen he's been sentenced to 45 years.
 
[quote name='mr ryles']Sorry I was drunk this one time, and ya, I killed someone while driving totally shit faced, but coooooooome onnnnnnnnnnnn. I'm a good guy, let it go.

Ok, but just this one time.

sweet.[/QUOTE]

he wasnt that much over the legal limit. Not that I condone it... but his BA wasn't all that high.
 
Does anyone doubt that if it was me or you who did this and we couldn't afford to settle with the family that we would be facing a much stiffer sentence?

As far as I'm concerned, if you get behind the wheel of a car drunk you are culpable for what happens. The fact that he pulled over and called the cops probably helped him, and it SHOULD have helped him. I'm not arguing against being flexible when someone shows remorse, but that doesn't make the sentence any less lenient - loss of license or not.
 
The DUI is the kicker; rewarding anyone who's driving while intoxicated and kills someone is an awful example to set, whether they're technically at fault or not. In this case not giving at least mandatory could only be justified for a sober person.

And someone mentioned mitigating factors, wtf? Driving drunk is an aggravating factor, the most in this scenario, and should trump all else. How do we know had he not been drunk his reflexes would have been enough to save the guy.

Again, a mandatory sentence was waived for a drunk driver. Terrible example.
 
If it makes anybody feel better, this guy is going to follow 1 of 2 paths:

1) Play with the Browns
2) Browns cut him and nobody wants a trouble maker like Stallworth so his career is over

1 is actually a lot worse than 2.
 
I hope they sue the shit out of everyone involved.

Of course, that won't fix the problem... at all.

Society reeks.
 
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