No More Drives For Stallworth

by: Jake

No, Stallworth did not get traded to the Lions, his license was permanently suspended as a part of his plea agreement with the family of the man he killed while driving under the influence on March 14. The agreement may seem a joke as a 30 day prison sentence for killing someone seems to make a mockery of our legal system, but a deeper look reveals that there is indeed more than meets the eye.

            First off, when you look at the actual crime scene you can see that there is no crosswalk in sight. The man who was killed, named Mario Reyes, jaywalked across a busy street at 7:15 in the morning while running across to catch a bus. We’ve all done it before, but we know its wrong every time. This was the key to Stallworth’s defense as the fact that the man was illegally in the street puts much of the responsibility off of Stallworth. Also, from all reports, it has been determined that Stallworth did flash his lights at Reyes in a last ditch effort to warn him of his oncoming car. And not only that, but Stallworth immediately stopped his car and dialed 911 and tried his best to save the man even though there was no chance as he was going 50 mph upon contact. Stallworth also stayed at the scene and took all of the field sobriety tests that were demanded of him.

            After being arrested, his lawyer played off his clean record and repeated apologies to provoke a lighter sentence. Stallworth issued the standard, “I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy,” and also said, "I am truly sorry," at the sentencing hearing. This combined with the family of Reyes’ eagerness to put the tragedy behind them made for a quick agreement between the two sides. The final details of Stallworth’s sentence include: 30 days of jail, 2 years of home confinement (with provisions made to continue his football career), 1,000 hours of community service, a permanently suspended drivers license, and 8 years of probation. Also, Stallworth reached a financial agreement with the Reyes’ in which the amount was kept confidential.

            As to how this will affect his NFL career, he is currently suspended indefinitely and with the whole Vick ordeal, Stallworth may have to wait awhile to find out his suspension. Rams Leonard Little was given a 8 game suspension for a similar charge, and I expect Stallworth to receive the same.

            The saddest part of this whole tragedy is that this could have all been avoided if 1 or 2 things happened, Stallworth used any part of his 35 million dollar contract to call a cab or a driver, or something as simple as Reyes using the crosswalk