Aug 13, 2009 5:09 pm US/Eastern
Stallworth Suspended For 2009 NFL Season
Suspension Is Without Pay
NEW YORK (CBS4) ―
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Donte Stallworth's mug shot taken April 2, 2009 after he turned himself in on a DUI Manslaughter charge in connection with the March crash that killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach.
CBS
Donte' Stallworth, a one-time first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints, will have to sit out the entire 2009 NFL season after his conviction for DUI manslaughter in Miami earlier in 2009. The last player convicted of DUI manslaughter was St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who was suspended for 8 games following his conviction.
Stallworth admitted to striking and killing the 59-year-old crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m. on the morning of March 14th. Stallworth told police he flashed his lights in an attempt to warn Reyes.
Stallworth, who had been drinking at a bar in the Fountainebleu hotel before the accident, had a blood-alcohol level of .126, well above Florida's .08 limit.
In a letter to Stallworth released by the NFL, Goodell wrote that he didn't take into account the sentence in determining the 28-year-old player violated the league's substances of abuse and personal conduct policies.
"Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man," Goodell wrote. "The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations."
Stallworth issued the following "official statement":
Commissioner Goodell called me this morning. Obviously, I am disappointed, but, as I said previously, I accept the Commissioner's decision. Regardless of the length of my suspension, I will carry the burden of Mr. Reyes' death for the rest of my life.
I urge NFL fans not to judge NFL players or me based on my tragic lapse in judgment. I am a good person who did a bad thing. I will use the period of my suspension to reflect, fulfill my obligations, and use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of those who look up to NFL players.
But according to the website profootballtalk.com, Stallworth was less diplomatic when it came to his Twitter account. Profootballtalk reported that Stallworth posted the following to his Twitter account and then promptly deleted it: "TO ALL MY FAM IN THE LEAGUE: GOD BLESS YALL, STAY HEALTHY, GOOD LUCK THIS SEASON!!! I'M WATCHIN EVERY F--KIN GAME."
Goodell's move will free the Cleveland Browns to seek reimbursement for part of the money Stallworth received when he initially signed with the Browns.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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