OT: Stallworth Indefinitely Suspended
Stallworth was indefinitely suspended by the league, which is a move I applaud. Goddell basically said that he got off WAY too easily and will meet with him to discuss further actions.
I applaud this move and agree with it whole heartedly but there are some interesting situations brewing, especially with how he is going to handle Vick. I could write pages and pages on this stuff but let me short hand my points and I am welcoming any and all comments:
- Stallworth, even though showing the smarts to call the police after he killed someone and admit full responsibility, still KILLED SOMEONE! Holy crap. How the hell did he only get off with a 30 day prison sentence, some monetary fine, two years house arrest and virtually an indefinitely suspended license? Vehicular manslaughter is still pretty high up there in law punishments - this seems way too light.
- There is precedence on this matter, as well. Leonard Little also killed someone while drunk driving and he's in the league. I can't remember what his punishment was, but it was very similar. Tagliabue, I think, suspended him for either four or eight games. I bet the Players' Union can use this to show Goodell that he should be suspended four to eight games.
- This will be an interesting precedent for what happens to Michael Vick. Yes, I love dogs and would NEVER condone what he did, but now the issue becomes how do some view the lives of dogs vs. the lives of humans? Some will argue that there is no difference (life is life) and some will argue otherwise. All I'm going to say if Leonard Little and Stallworth can play in the league, the Vick should be able to. If Vick isn't able to, then kick both Stallworth and Little out of the league.
Thanks for reading.
30 days of jail...what a joke. But at least he has to do 1,000 hrs of community service (sarcasm). He'll probably be back in the league next year though.
leonard little received an 8 game suspension in 99.
That was then, this is now....new precedents being set, at least someone is doing the right thing here..
Also interesting to look at the public reaction to Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart's death. People here in Southern California were ready to send that guy away for life (granted the situations are slightly different since he fled the scene and had a prior DUI arrest), while guys like Little and Stallworth get off with essentially a slap on the wrist. It also just came out that the driver of the car Adenhart was in (an underage girl) was over the legal limit, too.
A second offense DUI in SoCal gets you (approximately standard plea deal) 30 days plus fines plus an 18 month class during which you can't drive. I think you also have to put a breathalyzer on your car to get your license back in some cases. Those two arrests can come any time within a ten year window. So basically a guy who had one too many and got pulled over twice in a decade (with no accidents or injuries caused) would get roughly the same punishment as Stallworth got (since I don't see no license as big punishment for someone with millions to pay a driver).
Vick was in jail for HOW LONG for killing dogs? And this guy gets 30 days for killing a PERSON. Unreal. Un-freaking-real.
People love dogs. Often, it's easier to love a dog without any knowledge of the dog then it is to love a human without any knowledge of the human. People generally assume that other people aren't very good or nice. That's especially true if they just watched something on the news confirming that people can be bad (i.e. a news report on Vick drowning dogs). But most people have good feelings towards dogs and think of them as kind and good natured regardless of their situation. And if a dog is bad, then it's generally blamed on a human (furthering the idea that humans are bad).
Check out this link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KickTheDog
It shows how dogs are so universally beloved that harming them is used to represent how utterly evil a person is.
Thus, most people will initially place more value on the life of a random pack of dogs then a random selection of humans. It might be less true if it's just one dog and one human, but when you get to double-digit numbers, people's perception of the magnitude of an act is changed (see this link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AMillionIsAStatistic)
Is this what we're turning to to make our arguments now?
Stallworth received 30 days because he paid the family of the man he killed an undisclosed sum of money and they in turn told the DA to close the case quickly.
I'm sure Vick would've paid whoever he could to get him off easy as well but this wasn't an option since he technically owned the dogs he killed.
Stallworth is just another example of celebrity status helping out in the court of law.
I believe the settlement had due to with the civil portion of the case, not the criminal trial. The judge should not look at the civil proceedings when coming down with the criminal sentence. I may be completely wrong about this but it's my understanding.
No amount of money can change the fact that Stallworth murdered someone.
I think the family cared more for the size of the check Stallworth could write than they did for who he was.
+1. They wanted money and they got it. Cant fault Stallworth for writing a check for any sum to keep himself out of jail/court.
Celebrity status only really helps with jury trials in which the jury is predisposed to like (or at least, not dislike) the defendant. The only way it helps with a plea agreement is if the prosecutor thinks that a star-struck jury will let the celebrity get away with whatever was done, which only happens when there is some room for doubt. This is not the case here. Instead, Stallworth bought off the family, who in turn asked the DA to close the case quick. Therefore, it was money, not fame that helped Stallworth with the law, which is a different type of corruption to our legal system.
Anyways, here's to hoping Stallworth never plays again.
He definitely shouldn't be able to play this year.
You're assuming that it was Stallworth that said hey what do you want so i can get out of this instead of the family saying hey what do you have that you can give us? You know what happens when you assume? You make an ass out of emu's. Why couldn't the family asked for money instead of the other way around? that's a bold assumption, to me.
Never plays football again? That's you're opinion so I guess it can't be wrong but dang he only gets 30 days in jail but he can't play football again ... seems harsh to me.
"indefinite suspension" by Goodell turn out to be 6 games for Pacman Jones. So I'll applaud Goodell when we see what he actually does about this.
Cooperating with the authorities, as opposed to lying to them, helps a lot too. Just another factor to consider.
A 30-45 day jail sentence is pretty standard for a vehicular or DUI vehicular manslaughter charge. He is NOT getting off easy for being a wealthy athlete.
I'd argue that Vick's criminal acts are far worse because while the loss of a human life is tragic and warrants punishment, Stallworth was not deliberately and intentionally engaging in multiple crimes over a long period of time. Criminal intent is extremely important in sentencing. What Stallworth is receiving is the standard sentence for his crime with no prior alcohol incidents or criminal history. Saying he got off way too easy means everyone gets off way too easy, which is a whole other argument.
He will be reinstated by the NFL after his jail time and he has completed and complied with many of the terms of his probation. An indefinite suspension is not a ban for life, it's more of a statement that the league will take it under consideration after Stallworth has complied with his legal penalties.