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What are your thoughts on this?

It helps to have money!

The Browns should cut him loose like he's radioactive!

should have went to jail for much longer he took a life
and should never play fooball again.

It was bull thats what I think about it.
You can get 2 years for dog fighting, but 30 days for killing some one because you have to much money to call a cab or hire a Limo. He will get his.

Yesterday as I read the bottom line on ESPN news, the scroll stated the NBA official (sorry, don't recall the name), who was involved in illegal gambling activity was being moved to a halfway house to finish his 15 month sentence. The next line was about Stallworth's 30 day sentence for vehicular homicide (while drunk). This is beyond ridiculous. Miscarriage of justice has reached a new level !

On a positive note, Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the commissioner.

Stallworth quote from story on Yahoo!Sports:

“I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy,” said Stallworth, who was accompanied at the hearing by his parents, siblings and other supporters. “I will bear this burden for the rest of my life.”

So will the family of Mario Reyes.

Good opinion piece from the Miami Herald:

Posted on Thu, Jun. 18, 2009
Donte' Stallworth settlement sets the value of victim's life
By FRED GRIMM
fgrimm@MiamiHerald.com

Donte' Stallworth does 30 days. And walks.
In a sentencing process that grants peculiar deference to the victim's families, it's good to be a rich professional football player.

Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter, a crime known to ring up a decade or more in prison if a victim's family brings outrage and grief into the courtroom.

Less than three months ago, a Broward judge sentenced David Whiting, 50, to 35 years for DUI manslaughter after relatives of his victims, a corporate CEO and his young daughter, testified about their devastation.

The mother of the woman killed by Shelly Goldman, 34, in a 2004 collision in Coconut Creek, submitted a written statement, ''Every time I go by the crash scene, another part of me dies.'' Goldman was sent off for 17 years.

A TOUGH SENTENCE

Ramón Antonio Ovalles, drunk, crashed into a minivan, killing two, including a 10-year-old boy whose parents came into the Miami courtroom demanding a tough sentence. Ovalles got 12 years.

South Florida DUI manslaughter convictions can bring life, or 85 years, or, if you're rich, 30 days. And victims' families have been granted ever-increasing influence.

Carla Wagner, just over the legal blood-alcohol limit and distracted by her cellphone when she slammed into a young skateboarder in Pinecrest in 2001, seemed no more culpable than Stallworth, who was well over the limit when he struck Mario Reyes on the MacArthur Causeway.

But the influential family of Wagner's victim, Helen Marie Witty, an appealing 16-year-old honor student, had come to the courtroom demanding justice. Wagner's prison time exceeded Stallworth's sentence by 1,798 days.

The Miami Herald's David Ovalle explained the disparity in a single sentence. Stallworth, he wrote, ``also has agreed to pay an undisclosed civil settlement to the Reyes family.''

It's as if the prosecution acted as the family's agent. ''It's not about the people outside of the circle,'' Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle insisted Tuesday. ``This is what the family wanted.''

But this wasn't a private matter. Stallworth committed a crime against society. We're supposed to decide. Not the family. At least that used to be the case. Wayne Logan, a Florida State University law professor and the expert on ''victim impact evidence,'' said the concept evolved from a 1991 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing victim testimony.

RIGHT TO TESTIFY

Florida law now gives victims the right to testify at any felony sentencing about ``the extent of any harm, including social, psychological, or physical harm, financial losses, loss of earnings directly or indirectly resulting from the crime.''

Last year in Miami-Dade, the family of a young murder victim vetoed anything less than a 40-year sentence for Michael Hernandez, who was 14 when he stabbed a young school mate. Yet in Broward, the parents of 17-month Shaloh Joseph agreed to an 18-month sentence for her 12-year-old killer.

And what about cases in which no one speaks for the victim?

''The danger lies in the potential inequality of the sentences,'' Professor Logan said. ``And one life becomes more valuable than another.''

In Miami, the value of one victim's life was set at ``an undisclosed civil settlement.''

It would be hard to compare his case with others as a lawyer on ESPN said. The construction worker did pop out between 2 cars not at a crosswalk. Maybe this accident could have been prevented and alcohol had nothing to do with it?

I do believe DUI should have a manditory time in prison just like the gun law in New York no matter who you are. For people no matter what income level you are eveyone knows the dangers of DUI.

It is good that Stallworth never left the scene and was there doing whatever he could from the start for the family. Unlike another graduate of University of Tennessee Albert Haynesworth who crashed into another man while driving 103mph in a 70mph zone. The man had to have a hip replacement and is still having a difficult time moving around. With him needing a walker and wheelchair to move around. Then even after that incident he was involved in another crash after being put on probation. At his probation hearing his lawyer said afterward.

"Albert was completely unaware of any injuries sustained by anyone involved in the accident at the time. Mr. Edmonson's injuries are unfortunate and Albert certainly wishes him a very speedy recovery. He promptly turned this matter over to his insurance company," Speck wrote.

Stallworth is taking responsibility for his actions even though it will not bring the life of the man back unlike Haynesworth who has not. Even though Hayneswworth was not drunk his behavior of driving over 100mph was just as dangerous.

I think the fact that Stallworth is acepting responsibility and making an effort to make restitution - be it financial or otherwise - probably carried some weight with the judge, in addition to the Reyes family accepting the settlement and wanting to move on.
Since Mr. Reyes was the bread-winner, I think a financial settlement is absolutely appropriate.

Interesting side note: Former First Lady Laura Bush ran a stop sign and killed one of her friends. She got nothing and her BAC was not tested.

What is interesting to me is that Stallworth, while intoxicated, could have potentially had the same thing happen to him that did. We really aren't sure how much of it was the fault of the man who darted out.

Laura Bush was completely at fault but has almost completely escaped criticism.

Just a thought, not a political argument, just a thought.

WitnessProtection wrote:I think the fact that Stallworth is acepting responsibility and making an effort to make restitution - be it financial or otherwise - probably carried some weight with the judge, in addition to the Reyes family accepting the settlement and wanting to move on.
Since Mr. Reyes was the bread-winner, I think a financial settlement is absolutely appropriate.

He doesn't have a choice but to accept responsibilty for what happened. The guy was drunk and thats just stupid. He could have hired a limmo or called a cab. He was going in excess of 90 mph. He killed some one.