Does this seem right to you?

andtckrtoo

andtckrtoo

Cathlete
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/16/florida.nfl.player.plea/index.html

Basically the story is about how Stallworth, who is an NFL player, got 30 days in jail for drinking and driving and killing a construction worker while doing so. He is under house arrest for 2 years, but can still play football while he is.

He is also donating $2500 (!) to MAAD - um, he makes more than that in one game. And people wonder why people still drink and drive - the very worst scenario happened and he basically gets a slap on the wrist. Oh, they took his license away for life, but pbbbt.

I am totally against what Michael Vick did (any one who knows me knows that I am against animal abuse of any kind), but seriously, he got banned from the NFL for crimes against animals. This guy kills a human and doesn't even have to miss a game. Amazing.
 
I scratched my head in amazement as well. It is wrong on sooooo many levels. I have always thought that the entire Vick circus was wrong, not that I am a big fan of the Vick Brothers, but when we place value on dogs life more so than humans, that is where and when I have a problem with. In the case of Stallworth, if was an "entitled" person who died, he would have been under the prison. For example, when Strom Thurmond's daughter was killed by a drunken driver. But because the victim was a "construction worker" thus not an entitled person, Stallworth basically got off with a slap on the hand and pay MADD.
 
I've been saying this ever since the whole Michael Vick thing happened. I am with you, what Vick did was horrible, and he deserved everything he got, but what about these cases of pro athletes who have killed people from drunk driving, and given a slap on the wrist and continue playing? There was nowhere near the outrage and consequences that Vick faced with his animal abuse. I can't help but wonder how everyone would feel if the human life taken were that of a loved one.

I love animals, but in my book taking a human life at the very least equals taking an animal life. It's pretty twisted.

Leonard Little (DE of St. Louis Rams) killed a person while drunk driving in St. Louis. Six years later he was arrested for DUI again, yet acquitted of the charges. He continued playing for the St. Louis Rams, and as far as I know is still playing.
 
I thought there was a typo in the paper when they said 30 DAYS. I was sure they meant 30 YEARS. Could you imagine how the victim's family must feel? It's disgusting to let someone essentially get away with murder.
 
They said that the family reached an "amicable financial agreement"

Methinks the family realized he was probably worth more out of jail earning a paycheck than in.
 
It appears that his sentence was the result of a plea agreement & according to the state's attorney, the family supported the plea agreement. Also, the courts take into account that he had no prior offenses and this was a 1st offense. He is on house arrest for 2 yrs & probation for 8 which means he will have to report to a PO and be subject to random drug testing & drug & alcohol counseling. Also, his community service will involve talking at high schools and in front of other groups about his experience & the dangers of drinking & driving. It also appears that he took responsibility for what happened & expressed true remorse for his actions & that may have also played a factor. While this was definitely a terrible tragedy, I don't see that he got off that easy. Every time he talks to a group, he will have to face the fact that he killed someone & maybe prevent it from happening to someone else. Many factors go into sentencing someone & I think the family's support of the plea agreement was one. Was it the money they received? Don't know; possible. Anyway, that's my 2cents.
 
ladysaraii said:
They said that the family reached an "amicable financial agreement"

Methinks the family realized he was probably worth more out of jail earning a paycheck than in.
Click to expand...

financial arrangement?? perhaps the person had young children and the family wanted to provide financial security for the children. i don't know all the facts of the case, so it's hard to judge. unfortunately, there is no set standard across the country and judges are given leeway depending on the circumstances. i had a friend whose father killed someone in a drunk driving accident when he was younger. she said he never recovered or forgave himself. she never went into great detail about the incident, but only said how profoundly it changed the course of his entire life and the effect it had on her family who had to live with him. i think this NFL player should be forced to lecture at high schools and AA meetings, maybe he will prevent some other person from destroying innocent life.
 
Sorry - the guy committed murder. He willingly got behind the wheel of a car after he had been drinking - that's the same, to me, as walking around with a loaded gun and your finger on the trigger. This should not even be open to a plea agreement. He did get off easily.
 
Yes--I'd take the financial agreement too knowing that more than likely this person would face little, if any, jail time.

I don't agree with Measuredoak. Drunk driving is 100% preventable. A wealthy man of Stallworth's means had no need to get behind a wheel. He could have rode home in a limo, called car service, whatever. He instead got behind the wheel with zero regard for anyone else on or near the road and murdered someone. Drunk driving is not an accident. It is a choice and in this case resulted in a murder and the punishment should fit the crime (wealthy perp or not). How may examples of people dead and maimed do we need to see before people stop being so casual about drunk driving? It is amazing how many people we all know do it. When will you read about them in the paper's police blotter?

I watched a victim impact panel on tv a few months ago and realized that I knew of almost everyone on it. A high school classmate's mother and three sisters dead, a high school classmate dead, a coworker's son and niece dead. I also had someone close to me who got behind the wheel and left his friend dead. He told me a day didn't go by that he didn't think about what he had done. Unfortuantely I don't think those thoughts entered his head as he got behind the wheel of his Dodge Ram truck after a night at the bar.
 
I've been following this story because it happened here in Cleveland. I think the ass needs to be in jail for 5 years like the sentence was read. And I think he should be kicked off the Browns team. There was a survey on Fox 8 last night on whether or not he should be allowed to stay on the team and the concensus was a resounding no. As of last night they didn't know if he was going to stay on with Cleveland or not.

From what I understand with the story, the family wanted $$$$. They weren't interested in seeing him to go jail. That's heresay, of course, but thats the word around here. They got their $$$, they are happy with the verdict.

I think it's BS how these professional players get special treatment. We wouldn't get special treatment.
 
lkl said:
financial arrangement?? perhaps the person had young children and the family wanted to provide financial security for the children. i don't know all the facts of the case, so it's hard to judge. unfortunately, there is no set standard across the country and judges are given leeway depending on the circumstances. i had a friend whose father killed someone in a drunk driving accident when he was younger. she said he never recovered or forgave himself. she never went into great detail about the incident, but only said how profoundly it changed the course of his entire life and the effect it had on her family who had to live with him. i think this NFL player should be forced to lecture at high schools and AA meetings, maybe he will prevent some other person from destroying innocent life.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging the family if in fact they wanted money over jail time. I'd probably think long and hard about it too, especially if the victim was the primary wage earner. I was just pointing out something I noticed.
 
How fortunate that Stallworth could pay his way out. The family will at least have their bills covered (or at least one would hope) and Stallworth can live in house arrest in his comfortable home and hope the NFL will condone his crime.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top