August 13, 2009

I wouldn't eternally ban a guy who made a mistake and has been contrite and remorseful. Given that he didn't serve any jail time, a year's suspension sans pay seems fair.

posted by TheQatarian at 10:09 PM on August 13, 2009

So, bet on baseball, banned for life.

Kill a man, suspended for a year.

Yeah, yeah apples and oranges.

But with the oranges there's a dead person.

posted by bobfoot at 11:05 PM on August 13, 2009

Was reading about this earlier on a Madden 10 thread on GameFAQ's of all places.

One interesting post I shall copy here and link too makes interesting reading as it puts some much needed perspective on it.

The victim was found at fault by police investigators for example.

I would strongly, strongly suggest that you read the details of the case before jumping to conclusions. I'll give you all the 'Cliff Notes' version:

1. The victim was found at fault by Police investigators and according to eye witnesses, he clearly ran between two packed cars, not at a stop sign or crosswalk and ran across the street.
2. This was not a hit and run. Stallworth stopped immediately, called the police from his cell phone and stayed with the man.
3. According to a source within the DAs office, if Stallworth did not have alcohol in his system there would not be any jail time and it is unlikely he would have been charged at all because he wasn't even speeding.

I think the main question we need to ask is why Roger Goodell thinks he should be the one to talk one the role of the justice system. Despite what you may think or believe Vick was a convicted felon with 2 years of jail time, Stallworth was not. Why should Vick get only 4 games, when Stallworth gets a whole season?

Our legal system found that Vick's crime was worse, it does not matter whether you agree with that or not... Roger Goodell is becoming a meglomaniac with his power.

Thread is here if anyone is interested.

As for the commissioner... That's hilarious. "The stain"? It's funny reading that from a guy who runs the league OJ was in.

posted by Drood at 01:33 AM on August 14, 2009

It's funny reading that from a guy who runs the league OJ was in.

So because O.J. Simpson played in the NFL, nothing else anyone does could stain the league? I don't think that's true at all. The NFL is the most popular sport in the U.S. and one of the most popular in the world. Stallworth's decision to drive drunk hurt the league's rep, as any such event would.

That would probably be because Vick did 2 years in a maximum security prison while Stallworth barely did a month for killing a guy.

It's not the job of the NFL Commissioner to correct inequities in criminal sentencing through suspensions.

Though Stallworth's actions after the crash are a mitigating factor that probably reduced his sentence, as did the undisclosed settlement that put the victim's family on his side, I don't think one year's suspension is excessive. He drove drunk.

posted by rcade at 08:44 AM on August 14, 2009

I don't think one year's suspension is excessive. He drove drunk.

I'd like to see Goodell give lengthy suspensions to anyone with a DUI regardless of whether anyone was injured or killed.

Why should Vick get only 4 games, when Stallworth gets a whole season?

Vick is getting an additional six games this season. He was suspended indefinitely from the NFL in August of 2007. Stallworth hasn't missed a game. Now, he has to miss 16 for his felony of DUI manslaughter. I think that is reasonable. Goodell is not going to retry the case to see how guilty Stallworth really was. He pled guilty to DUI manslaughter. His punishment is assessed based on the serious of that crime.

posted by bperk at 10:08 AM on August 14, 2009

Not premeditated murder. And according to the way this happened, the pedestrian would been hit anyway- even if a sober person were behind the wheel.

The NFL commissioner is being a hard nose only because his predecessor was not.

But isn't it the point that Stallworth did in fact have alcohol in his system regardless if the victim "ran between two pa{r}ked cars". That's like saying that former Nets star Jayson Williams would've never gotten arrested for shooting his chauffeur, Costas "Gus" Christofi and killing him with a shotgun if the gun never had any bullets in it.

Makes. No. Sense.

posted by The_Special_Juan at 02:34 PM on August 14, 2009

Florida's DUI manslaughter charge takes into account "causation," a defense for a drunk driver if the other party contributed to the accident. So if Stallworth's attorneys thought he could be found not guilty based on the pedestrian's actions, they could have gone to court rather than entering a guilty plea.

posted by rcade at 04:07 PM on August 14, 2009

Here is the difference between Vick and Stallworth. Stallworth made a mistake and a man lost his life. The mistake as horrific as it is, was none the less a mistake and one he regrets. Vick on the other hand made a lot of mistakes and more than anything those mistakes were insightful as to the type of person he is.

I'd say there's a substantial difference in the definition of "mistake" in the two cases, at least as you're using it in the above paragraph.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:50 PM on August 16, 2009