Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indefinitely, meaning there is a possibility he could be out for most of the season, if not all. A suspension for Stallworth was what a lot of people expected, including myself. Stallworth did plead guilty to the charges that were brought against him and took full responsibility for the tragic accident that killed 59-year old Mario Reyes. Goodell is standing firm on his personal conduct policy and is trying to clean up the behaviors of the players off the field.
There are reasons why a long suspension was the right thing in many people's opinion. He killed someone else and did take responsibility by pleading guilty to the manslaughter charges. Also, he is serving prison time, which warranted suspensions for Tank Johnson and Michael Vick in the past. However, I don't think Stallworth should serve a long suspension. He has never had any previous run-ins with the law, which I think should count for a lot. Stallworth made a costly mistake, and is serving a sentence which I think is pretty light considering the crime. But I don't think he should serve a suspension more than a year.
In 1999, St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little was suspended by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue for eight games for something similar to this incident. He was drunk while driving after a party, and then crashed his car into a woman, instantly killing the woman. He served jail time, and also received a suspension that warranted the crime. The punishment should come from the judicial system, not the NFL. Goodell is just trying to outdue Tagliabue and be regarded as the best commissioner in NFL history, which is a complete joke. Goodell needs a reality check.
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