6.19.2009

The Donte Stallworth Story Needs To End


Recently it seems like the biggest story in sports is about Donte Stallworth's case and how it isn't fair that he got 30 days in jail while Mike Vick got a year and some days for dog fighting. First off, Stallworth's case doesn't really compare with Vick's and at the same time, while Vick went a good 3-4 months denying all accusations about the dogfighting, Stallworth admitted to driving drunk and his responsibility for the death of the man crossing the street trying to catch a bus.
In no way am I saying that one deserves to go to jail and another person doesn't, but if you look at the specifics of Stallworth's case you will see why he only got 30 days (which will probably be reduced) in jail.
According to the police report, Stallworth was driving 50 mph in a 40 mph zone. Going only 10 mph is not all that crazy seeing as though most people in America drive much faster than that when they aren't under the influence. The report also said that Stallworth flashed his lights at the man who apparently wasn't walking in a crosswalk and was straight up running in the middle of the street. Yea, you can say that Stallworth should have honked his horn or slammed on the breaks or anything else other than flashing his lights while driving and if anything, that is the biggest mistake (other than being drunk) he could have made when driving.
Vick on the other hand was fighting dogs and not taking care of them. He didn't feed, bathe, walk, or anything and that ultimately resulted in animal cruelty and an entire organization (PETA) on his back.
In no way am I saying what Stallworth did was ok; I'm just trying to show why he got a shorter sentence than Vick did. Both crimes were horrible and gave a bad image to the NFL so if anything, their punishments in the league should be a lot similar than they will be.

1 comment:

  1. You really changed my mind on this. Probably because I never really knew all the details, but you made a very good arguement! :)

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