No Surprise: NFL Suspends Donte Stallworth for the 2009 Season
1-liner, NFL August 13th. 2009, 11:00amDonte Stallworth: The Cleveland Browns wide receiver who was driving drunk when he hit and killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes, has been suspended without pay by the NFL for the 2009 season. This should come as no surprise. After dropping an F-bomb in his first tweet about the suspension, he wrote this: “I’M A LITTLE WOUNDED, BUT I’M NOT SLAIN; I WILL LAY ME DOWN 4A WHILE 2 BLEED, THEN I’LL RISE & FIGHT WITH YOU AGAIN.” The Browns must have anticipated this, too – they drafted two WRs in addition to picking up free agent Mike Furrey. [NFL PR Guy]
73 Responses to “No Surprise: NFL Suspends Donte Stallworth for the 2009 Season”
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August 13th, 2009 at 11:02 AM
He killed a guy, while drunk driving, and he didn’t see this coming? what an ass.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:03 AM
I personally think it is a bit harsh.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:03 AM
/strains hamstring
August 13th, 2009 at 11:03 AM
Please elaborate.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
doubt you’re going to find a lot of folks agreeing with you there, pki.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:05 AM
first person to bring up jared allen wins a brand new microwave.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:06 AM
What does the person who brings up Leonard Little win?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:07 AM
This is fitting. He has no business on the field seeing as HE KILLED A GUY.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:07 AM
when can they release him and not take a cap hit?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:07 AM
jared allen.
/where’s my microwave?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:08 AM
does he really need to say he’s wounded but not dead when he’s being suspended for driving drunk and killing someone? is he really that dumb?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:08 AM
nothing because when they claim racism leonard little will disprove their point. oh…ok they will win a jet ski
August 13th, 2009 at 11:09 AM
“I’M A LITTLE WOUNDED, BUT I’M NOT SLAIN; I WILL LAY ME DOWN 4A WHILE 2 BLEED, THEN I’LL RISE & FIGHT WITH YOU AGAIN.”
/strains hamstring
You have no idea.
/angry Saints followed taking 1 UT WR who can’t stay healthy by drafting another UT WR who can’t stay healthy!
first person to bring up jared allen wins a brand new microwave.
Leonard Little laughs at this.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:09 AM
anytime because unless they wait until after next season, they’ll still take a hit.
THANKS SAVAGE!!!
August 13th, 2009 at 11:10 AM
sorry spence it clearly states in the contest rules that you cant write for a blog. ecspecially a golf glog. again sorry.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:11 AM
ok here is the thing.
A. It was proven that he couldn’t have avoided hitting him even if he was sober as a priest on sunday.
B. He owned up to it right away.
C. His BAC was so low, that it could be proven that he thought he was sober enough to drive. How many times have you woken up the next day and driven home and still probably were drunk without really knowing it?
I am not defending him at all, but just trying to put myself in his shoes. With all these stories of guys messing up and then trying to cover it up or denying it all, it is sad to see someone who actually fesses up takes it like a man, and still gets the book thrown at him.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:12 AM
First person to bring up Mark Gastineau wins a Pez dispenser.
/Hernia’d
August 13th, 2009 at 11:13 AM
He should really be in jail for quite a bit longer than one season. So this “punishment” is laughable.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:13 AM
is he really that dumb?
Any time this question is asked about an NFL player I feel like the answer should always be yes.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:13 AM
A. It was proven that he couldn’t have avoided hitting him even if he was sober as a priest on sunday.
Bottom line is if he’s not driving drunk he doesn’t hit and kill someone.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Actually he was found to have been at least partially responsible for an accident that resulted in a mans death. The deceases also shared some responsibility, which is why this case was plead down.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:14 AM
a. it was?
b. so? still did it.
c. fail. the law is the law is the law is the law. and the law said he was drunk.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:16 AM
no, but the guy you hit when you were driving drunk is. nice choice of words there bud.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:17 AM
its not like this was his first time in trouble with the law. guy has been in trouble practically every year since going to college. he was already in the leagues substance abuse policy.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:18 AM
@pki: maybe he would have still hit the guy, but someone sober could have hit his brakes faster and not killed him.
In any case, he did what he did and someone’s dead for it. Sitting one year out of the NFL is hardly the worst punishment that could have fallen on him.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Spencer, with regards to (a) – There was video showing the guy basically jumped/ran in front of the car to catch a bus on the other side of the street the instant Stallworth was coming through. There was no way to stop in time, sober, drunk, high, or on meth. That’s why it was only a 30-day sentence.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:19 AM
I only caught part of the interview he did with espn and had to turn it off. Dude comes off with no remorse. Even if I was in an accident where it wasn’t my fault I’d still feel terrible someone died. Also, I heard his full 911 call on the radio and he’s making sure to say the pedestrian ran out and “hit his car.” Seemed like he knew he might be a little twisted and wanted to cover his ass.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:22 AM
what book? 30 days in jail or whatever it was? the man got off easy..
August 13th, 2009 at 11:22 AM
if he had anough time to blink his lights and honk his horn i’m saying he has enough time hit his brakes. so he saw him..and if i see a pedestrian on the side of the road(and yes he clearly saw him) i slow down.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:24 AM
the dude was legally drunk and killed someone while driving.
it’s a horrible situation, but the bottomline is he broke the law. if it had been any of us, we’d still be in jail and we’d be happy to get some sort of shitty minimum wage job when we got out with no exceptions during house arrest to go workout with a trainer. wtf.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:24 AM
I think a more effective social-network-word-we’re-not-supposed-to-say would have been “I’M SORRY.”
August 13th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
if he had anough time to blink his lights and honk his horn i’m saying he has enough time hit his brakes.
Thank you. I’ve been saying this since this story came out. He had time to flash his lights and honk when he ran in the road but not swerve or slam on the brakes? Police report said there were no signs of skid marks at the scene either.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
interesting…I keep getting moderated.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
“I’M A LITTLE WOUNDED, BUT I’M NOT SLAIN; I WILL LAY ME DOWN 4A WHILE 2 BLEED, THEN I’LL RISE & FIGHT WITH YOU AGAIN.”
YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF THERE, BUDDY. HOLD ON. WHO ARE WE FIGHTING?
Do people really tweet in all caps?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Now I’m no lawyer, and I don’t like defending anyone stupid enough to DUI, but I’m of the understanding that in Fla the courts are allowed to consider whether his DUI actually affected the outcome of the accident, and in this case the prosecution didn’t think that was the case (like Ben said, he could have been sober and the accident still would have occurred).
So for the sake of discussion remove the DUI part, if you’re driving home from work today on your cellphone (studies show just like being DUI’d) and someone runs in front of your car and you kill them, how much time should you do?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:27 AM
interesting…I keep getting moderated. Mizerle
It is TBL’s obivous anti-Big Ten fan bias. Noted Notre Dame fan, Jersey Yo, has had no issues.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:28 AM
I hate midmajors as much as the next guy. espceially the Big Televen.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:28 AM
is the person im hitting ben roethlisberger?
there isn’t a court in ohio that would convict me. hell, id probably get a key to both of our buildings.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:30 AM
i hear that alot of states are bannin’ talking on the phone while driving. and if you’re on the phone and blink your lights and honk your horn then you should be able to hit your brakes.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:31 AM
actually, i keep getting moderated too…and I’m all bout that SEC!
August 13th, 2009 at 11:31 AM
findlay or oxford youd be fucked
August 13th, 2009 at 11:32 AM
please clarify…talking on the celly or texting on the celly?
if talking, then no time…no different than talking to a passenger. if texting, whatever the precedence calls for.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:33 AM
“I’M A LITTLE WOUNDED, BUT I’M NOT SLAIN; I WILL LAY ME DOWN 4A WHILE 2 BLEED, THEN I’LL RISE & FIGHT WITH YOU AGAIN.”
how DARE that piece of shit quote Marv Levy
/used that passage to motivate the Bills to lose three more Super Bowls after “wide right”
August 13th, 2009 at 11:33 AM
unless you’re drunk, of course.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:33 AM
I hate midmajors as much as the next guy. espceially the Big Televen. Mizerle
Oh, I thought since you were attached to Sparty. Anyhow, you are going to have to the moderation issue up with management.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:34 AM
I think a lot of the suspension weighs on the meetings he had with the NFL. Who knows what came out of their interrogations with him. Subthought: Does this open up $$$$ for Cleveland?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:35 AM
says the guy who’s team is a walking embarassment.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
no.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
I didn’t know they would moderate a John Dryden poem
August 13th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
you just poked my pet peeve. it’s not your fault as it’s a common misconception (check the first two paragraphs).
August 13th, 2009 at 11:38 AM
one year. one…fucking…year.
ok, two years.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:42 AM
well, in NJ it’s illegal to talk on the phone while driving, so there would be some sort of punishment if it can be proven you were talking on the phone at the time of the accident. and everyone talks on the phone when they drive, odds are a jury would take it easy anyway. not everyone drinks and drives on a daily basis.
however, talking on the cell phone versus drunk driving is apples to oranges.
how about to make it even, you go out for a couple drinks after work with some friends and hit a guy on the way home. should you do time?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:47 AM
Completely false
Research shows that motorists talking on a phone are four times as likely to crash as other drivers, and are as likely to cause an accident as someone with a .08 blood alcohol content.
I already said, since Fla law allows the drinking part to be ignored (fair or not), replace drinking with cell phone, and give me an answer.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:47 AM
you just poked my pet peeve. it’s not your fault as it’s a common misconception (check the first two paragraphs).
Cool. Wait, you lost to your wife in Foosball?
August 13th, 2009 at 11:55 AM
And if the guy runs in front of my car, I’d say 30 days sounds about right. Its not like he plowed into a bus stop, he was driving the speed limit in his lane.
There’s no defense for DUI, but he didnt “kill” anyone, he was involved in an accident in which both parties made mistakes and now someone is dead, there IS a difference.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:59 AM
coop, it is apples to ornages unless each state has the same cell phone driving laws. not every state outlaws it and not every state classifies it as the same offense. example, in NJ for a very long time you could only be pulled over for talking on a cell phone if you committed another offense. it was recently changed to being an offense where you can be pulled over and fined, w/o committing another offense.
and coop, I do think that if someone is driving while talking on the cell phone and it is illegal to do so in the state, and they kill someone, they should be treated according the the state law, regardless of who they are.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
But thats what I’m saying, according to state law the DUI part can be ignored and it is treated like a normal accident. He didn’t get any special treatment, and while the punishment might be a little light I dont think he deserved 15 years or anything like that.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Funny how coop wants to go by the letter of the law now that Big Ben is in trouble. Did he apply that same principle to Kobe? Hell no.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:10 PM
i don’t think he deserved 15 years either, but 30 days is a bit light, and this guy has the balls to act like a year suspension from the NFL has “wounded” him.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
I can’t understand this line of argument at all. We have a justice system and it ruled in this case. The fact that you wish that the court was more punitive is completely irrelevant. Its a very dangerous world if we start tolerating the public exacting their own punishment.
Whether the league has the right to do this or not is one question, but the attitude that it is OK because his you don’t agree with the justice system is downright dangerous.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:28 PM
wonder how much jail/suspension he would have received if it was a dog instead of a person.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:33 PM
Goodell told Donte to hit the road…just like Donte told that jaywalker!
August 13th, 2009 at 12:34 PM
The fact that you wish that the court was more punitive is completely irrelevant.
Something I’ve always felt is that the penalty on drunk driving is light, even when resulting in someone’s death, because it’s a crime legislators and other elected officials often get popped for.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
And as to the he didn’t “kill” someone argument. No, he did kill someone. He didn’t intentionally kill someone so you can say he didn’t murder someone if you want, but he committed a crime and in the commission of that crime someone died. His actions killed someone.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
or if he was running illegal cross state gambling rings in addition to killing the dog.
don’t get caught up in the PETA hate, Vick went to jail for more than just killing dogs.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:41 PM
So what are you complaining about? He served only 30 days and will now miss only one year from his job. Like people have already mentioned, if you killed somebody while DUI, good luck keeping your job or quickly finding something else in the same field.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:41 PM
yes. she’s good.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:54 PM
+2. I wanted to say this. F__k the Vols. And Heath Shuler too!!!
August 13th, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Cmon clown, totally unrelated.
Dumbest comment ever.
The problem I have with that is that his actions contributed to a death, and he was rightfully punished, but the guy running in traffic when its dark out played a significant role in this accident. I’m not sure how many times or ways I can say that. If someone runs in front of your car, regardless of DUI or cell phone or anything, I gotta place most of the blame on the person running in traffic.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:02 PM
And I’m not sure how many times or ways it can be said that Stallworth somehow found time to flash his lights and hit his horn, while not swerving or braking. If you’ve got time to honk and flash your lights, it’s not exactly the same as some “running in front of your car”. You’ve been making it sound like the guy had to do a flying cross body block at a full sprint just to be able to place himself in front of the car. But it’s good that you place most of the blame on someone who wasn’t driving drunk.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:03 PM
i think that a lot of people need to have their sarcasm meters readjusted.
/not caught up in peta hate. knows there was more to the story
@coop247 – no worries i will see if TBL will greenlight my thesis on quantum physics for tomorrows round up. or perhaps a discussion on statistics and probabilities for those inclined to wager on sporting events.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:15 PM
I would gladly place the blame on the guy driving drunk if he was driving the wrong way down the highway and swerving into other lanes and plowed into this poor guy sitting at a bus stop. But as far as I know he was going the proper speed in the proper lane and had someone run in front of him. The prosecutor determined that his lack of sobriety didn’t significantly effect the situation, not me.
I hate people that drive drunk, I am extremely careful and barely drink if I know I’m driving. I had a very good friend that did 3 years in state penn for injuring someone while DUI’d. I’m just pointing out that there is lots of blame to go around in this situation.
hans, many people have made that comment and been totally serious, my bad.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:25 PM
coop – no worries. long time lurker new poster here so getting used to the give and take.
will say that 99.9% of anything i type will be sarcasm