Slap on the wrist or slap in the face?

By Lou DiPietro  |   Wednesday, June 24, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

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I hope you all missed me last week. While Wilbricht, Bialy and the boys held it down here, I was off in Vegas…and that’s all I have to say about that.

While I was gone, I missed the thrilling conclusion to one of the NFL’s saddest disciplinary stories of the year: The Donte' Stallworth saga. And you know what? When word came down about Stallworth’s “punishment," it almost made me sick enough to come out of vacation mode and write a scathing editorial about it.

Well, I’m back, and guess what? I’m not in vacation mode anymore.

And a week later, it still makes me sick when I think about Stallworth’s “punishment.”

By the way, I don’t mean the one from commissioner Roger Goodell. In this case, I actually have to give Goodell props. A few weeks back, when I posited about what his punishment for Stallworth would/should be, little did I think that he would actually go so far as to indefinitely suspend the troubled receiver. When you consider that regardless of intent, what he did was much worse than any indiscretion of the Vicks or Pac-Mans of the world – Goodell did the best he could.

No, in this case, it’s the criminal justice system that makes me sick.

Now, let me preface this. I don’t know Stallworth, the man. John McMullen, who covered the Eagles more in depth during Stallworth’s tenure in Philly, may have better insight on what kind of person he is.

I understand what happened that night in Miami was an accident. And to his credit, all reports say that Stallworth immediately stopped when he realized what had happened, quickly summoned authorities and took full responsibility for the death of Mario Reyes.

The result of all this was a guilty plea to DUI manslaughter. In Florida, that carries a four- to 15-year sentence, with the average being about 10 years.

Stallworth’s “punishment"? Lifetime revocation of his license, $10,000 in fines, 1,000 hours of community service…and 30 WHOLE DAYS in jail. Oh yeah, and that confidential financial settlement he reached with Reyes’ family, which I’m sure was a high enough figure to absolutely ease the pain of the loss of one of their loved ones.

When he leaves jail, Stallworth will be on probation for eight years, serving two of those under house arrest. To a millionaire professional athlete, that’s roughly the equivalent of parents these days disciplining their child by sending him or her to his or her bedroom – a chamber which, if it was anything like mine growing up, most likely contains a television, Internet access and at least one video game system.

Man, if you were the guy in the cell next to Stallworth serving five to 10 for the same offense, how would you feel right now? Let alone being someone – like me – who has seen a loved one’s life severely altered and/or cut short as a result of drunk driving.

Regardless of his profession and social status, Stallworth deserves more of a punishment simply for his poor judgment. I’m no saint, and I’m sure I’ve made indiscretions that would lead you to call me a hypocrite. But when you’re drunk enough to blow a .126 – well over the legal limit – after “not drinking for several hours,” then you should probably reconsider tying your shoes, let alone driving.

Apparently, the victim’s family requested the quick plea deal and Stallworth’s cooperation with authorities, clean driving record and “remorse over Reyes’ death” also played a role. Great. You know, my buddy Dennis didn’t mean to drive his mom’s car into the back of an SUV on Route 1 when we were 16, but that didn’t stop his insurance company from jacking up their rates and forcing him to forfeit his license until he turned 18. No matter that it was raining, he had a clean driving record and was remorseful; they didn’t care.

That comparison sounds dumb, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. But apparently Allstate’s stand is harder than Uncle Sam’s.

Really, it’s just sad when someone’s boss takes a harsher stand against a man who is now a convicted felon than the criminal justice system did.

But hey, thanks to jail, house arrest and his suspension, Stallworth won’t see the field for at least a season, maybe two. He’s already 28 – seemingly ancient for a receiver these days – and with a knack for being unproductive and injury prone, we may just have seen the last of Donte' Stallworth.

If so, hopefully that punishment will hurt more than any the courts could have provided.
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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