Donte Stallworth suspended indefinitely

[GameOver]

Cleveland Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth was suspended by the NFL indefinitely without pay following his guilty plea to DUI manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian, the league announced Thursday.

Stallworth was sentenced in a Miami court Tuesday to 30 days in jail, a controversial ruling that drew a great deal of criticism.

Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote a detailed letter to Stallworth explaining the stiff penalty levied by the league.


"The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable," Goodell wrote. "While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine the appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL."


“
There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in our league.

”
-- Commissioner Roger Goodell

The suspension is effective immediately, but Goodell still plans to schedule a meeting with Stallworth, who signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns last year. But now it appears the team will have no choice but to cut ties with the seven-year veteran.

Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis said the team would comment later.

The last indefinite suspension handed down by Goodell was to Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Dallas Cowboys in October 2008. That punishment turned into a six-week ban.

In a memo sent to all 32 NFL teams, obtained by ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen from a team source, Goodell sought to reinforce the league's policy on "alcohol-related misconduct."

"DUI is a serious matter which poses great risks to both those who drive under the influence, and innocent third parties. This truth was tragically underscored in Mr. Stallworth's case," Goodell wrote in the memo.

"In the past few years, I have not hesitated to impose discipline, including suspensions, on club and league employees who have violated the law relating to alcohol use. Every club should advise its employees of their obligations and our commitment to hold people accountable for alcohol-related violations of law."

Stallworth caught 17 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown with the Browns last season.

Stallworth began serving a 30-day jail sentence Tuesday. He also was sentenced to two years of house arrest following his release from jail, and will be on probation for eight years. He had faced 15 years in prison.

The punishment was made possible by his cooperation with investigators and the fervent wish by the victim's family to put the matter behind them.

Stallworth, 28, also reached a confidential financial settlement with the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, a Miami construction worker struck and killed early on March 14 by Stallworth, who was driving drunk in his black 2005 Bentley.

But Goodell showed no mercy in the wording of his letter to Stallworth.

"There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in our league," he said.

And in his memo to the teams, Goodell made his message quite clear: "Let's make sure that the 2009 season does not bring more tragedy or embarrassment to ourselves and our employees."

James Walker covers the AFC North for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[DC4]

He shouldn't be re-instated, If People say Mike Vick shouldn't be re-instated for killing dogs then Donte shouldn't be re-instated for killing a person.


I'm just saying

 

[footballplaya52]

at least vick did his time, everyone else gets off the hook

 

[yezzir]

He shouldn't be re-instated, If People say Mike Vick shouldn't be re-instated for killing dogs then Donte shouldn't be re-instated for killing a person.


I'm just saying

+1000000000

this is bull that he gets off with 30 days and michael vick had to stay for 2 years. are people outta their minds?

 

[elcheato]

The sentence wasn't as much because Stallworth stayed at the scene of crime, called the police, cooperated, and even went to visit the family of the victim. He was drunk, it was a terrible accident, but thats what it was, an accident. The man was illegally crossing the street, and from what reports say, he practically jumped into Stallworth's car. 30 days doesn't tell you the whole story. He is on house arrest for 2 years, is on probation for 10 years, and lost his license forever.

Vick flat out lied about everything, never cooperated and nothing else was attached like Stallworth had. I think Stallworth's crime was worse, but his was an accident, sadly a man lost his life, and Stallworth was drunk. Vick's was nothing close to an accident.

And even though Stallworth was "legally drunk", he was aware enough to stay there, stop and call the cops. So it doesn't seem like he was that impaired.

And don't come back at me saying I'm doing saying this because he is a Browns player. To tell you the truth, I am not a fan of Stallworth, I have wanted him cut from the Browns since week 8 of last year.

 

[A.E]

^ Stallworth was legally impaired but realistically, the guy wasn't inebriated. That doesn't necessarily make the guy innocent by any means but it also doesn't make him a murderer.

According to police, the victim trotted across the road, chasing after a bus. I can't figure out how Stallworth couldn't avoid hitting him if he had enough time to flash his headlights prior to the collision.

In any event, because Stallworth took responsibility from the minute it happened, didn't lie, didn't fail any drug tests during his trial and has no prior criminal history...he's only spending 30 days in jail. But at the same time, Stallworth is also on house arrest for 2 years and has had his driver's license suspended for life.

Not allowed to drive for the rest of your life is a huge hit to anybody.

 

[FSUViking]

Atta boy, Commish. :thumbsup:

 

[.GR]

Yeah, when I first heard about this I thought 30 days was way to lenient. But now that I've read into this moire and seen some of the other circumstances he must go through, it seems about right. An all around good guy made a mistake.

 

[ZigZag]

First of all, Vick murdered dogs. Stallworth's incident was accidental which is why it is manslaughter. Yes he shouldn't have been drinking and driving but look at how he handled the situation, it's bullsh/t for Goodell to suspend him indefinitely. Part of the f/cking reason he got only 30 days is so he could go to his job and make money to pay reparations to the family. Leonard Little got 8 games for the same charge so do the same for Donte.

 

[eLeMeNOhPe]

I hate when anyone in any sport gets suspended "indefinitely". It only means they haven't determined a length yet, they are just saying he is going to be suspended. People freak out about it cause the word is "indefinitely"

Chris Mortensen thinks he is going to be suspended for like 2 years (I think that's what I heard in the background earlier). That's a bit extreme imo, but he says it's because that's how long he will be under house arrest, and it's treated like jail time.

 

[FSUViking]

First of all, Vick murdered dogs. Stallworth's incident was accidental which is why it is manslaughter. Yes he shouldn't have been drinking and driving but look at how he handled the situation, it's bullsh/t for Goodell to suspend him indefinitely. Part of the f/cking reason he got only 30 days is so he could go to his job and make money to pay reparations to the family. Leonard Little got 8 games for the same charge so do the same for Donte.

Leonard Little also played under Uncle Do-Nothing Tagliabue. Can't compare the two.

 

[ZigZag]

Leonard Little also played under Uncle Do-Nothing Tagliabue. Can't compare the two.

Why does it matter who we played under? It's the benchmark for this type of crime.

 

[FSUViking]

Why does it matter who we played under? It's the benchmark for this type of crime.

:headsmack: What benchmark? So Goodell needs to discipline players the same way Tagliabue did, or rather, didn't?

 

[Donkey]

good thing the pats got rid of him