Donte Stallworth Only Gets 30 Days in Jail

What an amazing win for Donte Stallworth, and what an amazing disappointment for the justice system.

Stallworth, who took a plea deal on DUI manslaughter, was given 30 days in jail, 1,000 hours of community service, and a fine. The maximum sentence for DUI manslaughter is 15 years in prison.

Potentially, Stallworth could get his jail sentence over with and still make the end of training camp and pre-season games. However, Stallworth will probably be suspended indefinitely by commissioner Roger Goodell, so his 2009 season is in jeopardy.

Stallworth is said to have reached an agreement with the family of the victim Mario Reyes. Basically, Stallworth payed the family off so he would not get sued and made sure after his sentence is served he would not be bothered by this incident again.

It does not appear Stallworth was given especially lenient sentencing, but from what I could tell, the justice system did give him a break. Stallworth, who earlier in the case tried to blame the victim for the wreck, should have been punished harsher as far as I am concerned. Normal civilians would be in jail for a night or two for getting cited for a basic DUI or an intoxication in public citation. Stallworth, who was well over the legal limit with 0.126 blood-alcohol contact, at 7 a.m. no less, is only receiving 30 days in jail.

In my earlier article on this, I expressed disappointment with the favor and leniency showed for grave offenses and how the value of human life has seemed to diminish over time.

It is very unsettling to know that if a drunk driver hits a person and has a great attorney, he or she could get off with a slap of the wrist. The fact that Stallworth is in a big spotlight did not get an example made of him, and it only serves to further the mediocre attitude toward drunk driving.

Drunk driving should be frowned upon harshly to reinforce the law. Stallworth, however, will probably be allowed to pick when he serves his time as to not mess up his career in the NFL.