Roth Regatta

As of yesterday, WR Donte Stallworth has been signed to the Baltimore Ravens. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the story, here’s a little recap. On March 14, 2009, Donte Stallworth struck a pedestrian in his Bentley in Miami Beach, Florida. The victim was a 59 year old Mario Reyes. After investigating, the police came to find out that Stallworth’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was .12, over the nationwide legal limit of .08. Stallworth claimed that Reyes was not in a designated cr

osswalk when crossing the street and that he tried to flash his lights in an attempt to warn Reyes. It is clear, however, that any man facing such charges would make claims such as these in an attempt to persuade of innocence. Stallworth was charged with a DUI and second degree manslaughter. His sentence was 30 days in jail beginning July 10, 2009. Of this 30 day sentence, Stallworth served 24 days. He now has a one year $900,000 contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

I understand that this discu

ssion is like beating a dead horse, however I must make the comparison of Donte Stallworth to Michael Vick. On dog fighting allegations, Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison. During this time, Vick lost a large deal of his fortune, and was even forced to claim bankruptcy. Also, he was incarcerated shortly after the birth of his daughter. The punishment of Michael Vick unfairly punished his family as a result. In the case of Donte Stallworth, the only person hurt was innocent Mario R

eyes who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My argument is not that Michael Vick should have received less of a sentence because dogs are not important. My argument is that Stallworth should have received a harsher punishment. What kind of message do we send to our children when we say that a dog’s life is more important than a human’s life? Also, if the NFL truly cared about role models for children, they would not have reinstated either of these players.

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