Donte Stallworth: One life lost, only 30 days in prison

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By Blake Oestriecher

It should come as no surprise to NFL fans that another player recently found himself in trouble with the law.

In March, current Cleveland Browns and former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Donte Stallworth struck a 59-year-old man with his 2005 Bentley GT. The man, Mario Reyes, was trying to catch a bus to get to work just after 7 a.m. He never got there.

A police report later showed that Stallworth's blood alcohol content after the crash was .126, well above the legal limit of .08 in the state of Florida. An innocent man's life was taken and Stallworth faced the possibility of being sent to prison for up to 15 years. That was before he accepted a plea deal that, to say the least, seems too lenient.

As part of the plea deal, Stallworth agreed to spend 30 days in prison for DUI manslaughter. No, that is not a typo. You read that sentence correctly. Stallworth will be in prison for less than a month. Reyes is lost forever.

Granted, Stallworth will have to spend two years under house arrest, eight years on probation and will never be allowed to drive again. He has also been suspended indefinitely by the NFL and his future in the league looks in doubt. But Stallworth's short sentence begs the question: Did money and fame save him from a long sentence?

Yes, it did.

Some may argue that Stallworth owned up to what he did, that his record was clean or that the other parameters of the plea deal are harsh enough to warrant a short prison sentence. Still, the bottom line is that Stallworth broke the law and will not pay for it nearly as much as a working-class citizen would.

Stallworth reached a separate financial settlement with the Reyes family that ordinary citizens would likely not be able to reach. The financial settlement played a significant role in the length of Stallworth's sentence, a reality which ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson even acknowledged on Sportscenter.

Now, fast forward to April of this year, less than a month after the Stallworth incident, another tragedy struck the sports world. This time, though, the roles were reversed.

Mere hours after pitching the best game of his young career, Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was among three people killed after being hit by a drunk driver.

At only 22-years-old, Adenhart looked like he had a bright future in the majors. That was all cut short in an instant.

The man driving the minivan that killed Adenhart was identified as Andrew Thomas Gallo- also 22-years-old. Gallo, whose license was suspended because of a previous drunken driving conviction, was charged with three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, and felony driving under the influence of alcohol.

While the prior drunken driving conviction certainly played a part in the charges brought against Gallo, it also showed how the perks of being rich and famous helped Stallworth get the best of the legal system.

Although the specifics of these two cases are not the same, both Stallworth and Gallo drove drunk. Both knew it was wrong and both killed someone while doing so. Both deserve to go to prison.

Gallo should spend more time in prison than Stallworth because his accident was more severe, but the Florida judicial system screwed up. Stallworth should not walk free so soon simply because he can afford to pay the Reyes family.

One life is worth more than any amount of money. One life is worth more than 30 days.

Originally Published: Issue 806 - July 1, 2009

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