30 days and suspension from games--RU joking?

Browns receiver Donte Stallworth, right, flanked by his lawyer Christopher Lyons and his mother Donna Stallworth, listens to assistant state attorney Pat Trese during Tuesday's hearing in a Miami-Dade courtroom. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald)

I don't normally follow sports, but I've got something to say about Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth: are you fucking kidding me?

Stallworth, 28, pleaded guilty in a Florida court Tuesday to DUI manslaughter charges in the death of construction worker Mario Reyes in March. Under terms of a plea agreement, he will serve 30 days, which he began serving his sentence immediately, CNN reported.

Let me get this straight: this guy chooses to drink, get drunk, drive drunk, then kills a man while driving drunk and gets to serve a whooping 30 days in prison?

WTF?

Do I hear you saying he's also being suspended indefinitely by the National Football League? OK, so what? You can't work when you're in prison, right? If he were going to prison for years on involuntary manslaughter, he would not be playing football suspended or not.

Apparently, Stallworth, got slapped with this cruel, inhumane, torturous 30-day sentence as part of a plea deal, that is, because he pleaded guilty.

So what? Does pleading guilty cancel the crime?

I must be missing something here...

The big news today was his suspension from the NFL.

"The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Stallworth in a letter Thursday.

"While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine 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," Goodell said.

Stallworth's suspension is effective immediately, the league said. Goodell wrote in the letter that "in due course" the league would contact his attorney to schedule a meeting with him, after which a final determination would be made on discipline.

Stallworth was driving his black Bentley GT east on the MacArthur Causeway, which connects Miami to the South Beach area of Miami Beach, when he struck Reyes on the morning of March 14, according to prosecutors. He had been drinking at a Miami Beach club, according to court documents. His blood alcohol level was 0.126%, prosecutors said; Florida's legal limit is 0.08.

Reyes, 59, reportedly was heading to a bus stop after work when he was struck. Court documents said he suffered "critical head, chest and abdominal injuries" and died at a hospital, CNN reported.

When police arrived at the scene, Stallworth told them he was the driver of the car and admitted striking Reyes. Fine, but still...

During Tuesday's hearing, Stallworth offered his "deepest condolences to the Reyes family."

"Though I cannot bring back Mr. Reyes or ease his family's pain, I can and will honor his memory by committing my time, my resources and my voice by educating this community about the dangers of drunk driving," he said.

Stallworth could have served up to 15 years in prison, but State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle noted in a statement that he cooperated with authorities and had no previous criminal record or traffic violations. Reyes' family supported the plea agreement, she said.

How could they support a 30-day sentence for a drunk driver who caused the death of their loved one?

Stallworth's attorney, Chris Lyons, on Tuesday told CNN sister network HLN that Stallworth had reached an "amicable" financial settlement with Reyes' family but would not disclose the amount.

Ahhh...that's how and why they went for it--cold hard cash. Can't really blame them...after all, a longer sentence wouldn't bring Reyes back and they could probably use the money now that he won't be bringing home the bacon.

Lyons said the length of Stallworth's jail term "had nothing to do with Donte Stallworth being a celebrity, a professional football player or money."

Of course not.

What else would he say? That it did?

Stallworth has shown "genuine remorse" and accepted responsibility for his actions, Lyons said.

But so have many other criminals--and I use this because from a legal standpoint Stallworth committed a crime and is, therefore, a criminal--and they don't all get Mickey Mouse sentences--do they?

Under terms of Stallworth's plea agreement, he will face two years of house arrest upon his release. He is also required to donate $2,500 (wow!) to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (known as MADD), serve eight years of probation and submit to random drug and alcohol testing throughout his probation. His driver's license was permanently revoked.

Oh, alrighty then. He got a bit more than a 30-day sentence. I'll shut up now.

Sources: CNN, ABC News
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