Donte Stallworth Suspended Indefinitely by National Football League Following Fatal Crash
MIAMI ?? The National Football League on Thursday came down hard on Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth, suspending him indefinitely without pay shortly after he began serving a 30-day jail sentence for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk here. The sentence provoked widespread outrage.
“The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable,” said National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell in a letter to Stallworth that was posted on NFL.com. “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. Accordingly, I have decided to suspend you indefinitely, effective immediately.”
Goodell said he would meet with Stallworth at a later date to “make a final determination on discipline.”
Stallworth’s sentence was seen as a slap on the wrist, especially by bloggers posting comments on the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site. “I think the commissioner did the right thing,” wrote one. “I think Stallworth got off very easy compared to what would have happened to the common non-rich person.”
In a statement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving said it applauded “the leadership of Roger Goodell and the NFL for sending the clear message the court failed to send in the Stallworth case.”
Stallworth had faced up to 15 years in prison, but reached a plea agreement on the DUI manslaughter charge. ESPN.com reported that Stallworth also reached a confidential financial settlement to avoid a potential lawsuit from the family of the victim, 59-year-old Mario Reyes.
Inside Line says: The NFL commissioner’s action is a dramatic postscript to this tragedy. ?? Anita Lienert, Correspondent
