Stallworth gets 30 days for murder.

[Newtcase]

This isn't exactly apples to apples, but the circumstances are very similiar. This guy was in the middle of the road trying to help a stalled vehicle when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. This happened locally in the Belmont area, she got 27-35 years.

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/davis-34874-guilty-murder.html

[Montsta]

his poor judgement was drinking and driving, which plenty of nfl players have done and still play. hell, panthers have had duis.

the consequences were tragic, but why shouldn't he be allowed to play again?

Every one here wants Stallworth to get the same sentence Rae Carruth got, you should know that Fiz. After all it's the same exact crime because someone died.

/sarcasm

[Montsta]

I also read an article saying the family wanted resolution, "especially the victim's 15 year old daughter." Now I don't know how many 15 year olds have the emotional capacity to accept closure and move on, but I know a lot who would like a big fat check. I will bet my posting rights against anyone else's here that she has a brand new Mercedes or Range Rover on her 16th birthday. I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

[Johnny Rockets]

This isn't exactly apples to apples, but the circumstances are very similiar. This guy was in the middle of the road trying to help a stalled vehicle when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. This happened locally in the Belmont area, she got 27-35 years.

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/davis-34874-guilty-murder.html

Big difference in the two cases actually....

The jury found Davis guilty of second-degree murder, two counts each of felony hit-and-run resulting in death and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and one count each of driving while impaired, reckless driving, driving while license revoked and felony hit-and-run resulting in personal injury.

That lady had no driver's license,left the guy for dead, and kept going cause she was so hammered she had no idea what she did (supposedly)....

I believe Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and was never going to be charged with murder as this lady was. And as mentioned earlier....different state laws on this type of thing make a world of difference.

[Montsta]

Big difference in the two cases actually....

The jury found Davis guilty of second-degree murder, two counts each of felony hit-and-run resulting in death and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and one count each of driving while impaired, reckless driving, driving while license revoked and felony hit-and-run resulting in personal injury.

That lady had no driver's license,left the guy for dead, and kept going cause she was so hammered she had no idea what she did (supposedly)....

I believe Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and was never going to be charged with murder as this lady was. And as mentioned earlier....different state laws on this type of thing make a world of difference.

Agreed. Huge difference between driving drunk with no license, hitting a guy and leaving him for dead, and hitting a guy and stopping to get out and try to give him CPR while calling the cops to come for help.

[Mr. Scot]

Couple points of clarification:

Stallworth is suspended indefinitely, not banned. And the reason the suspension is indefinite is that Goodell does not want to determine the extent of his actual punishment without talking to him.

Once they've talked, there will likely be a suspension of a set length (my guess would be a year). But the current indefinite suspension is essentially "go stand in a corner and you can't play with your friends until I decide what your punishment is".

Also, regarding Stallworth's sentence, if the family agrees with it, I really can't imagine any of us has any standing to say otherwise. You have a right to your own feelings, but this is their loss, not yours. I've said many times it's silly to think you can tell anyone else how to grieve, and that applies here too.

[Newtcase]

Agreed. Huge difference between driving drunk with no license, hitting a guy and leaving him for dead, and hitting a guy and stopping to get out and try to give him CPR while calling the cops to come for help.

Agreed there is a significant difference. However, what is the same...

Drunk driver kills man in middle of the road.

There was no intent to kill.

Davis' crime was definetly more serious in regards to the hit and run aspect. The revoked drivers license is a moot point though in the debate of killing people while driving drunk.

So essentially the big difference here is she got hit with the book 27-35 years for a crime with the same outcome as Stallworth's, a man dead.

[natty]

I love idiots that compare this to Vick.

Vick went to jail for funding/running an interstate gambling operation, not killing dogs. He may have had a cruelty charge but that didn't get him 2 years.

I don't know the exact details but from what I've heard he wasn't totally tanked. The sentence is a little light but not by much. He didn't get off 'scott free' because he's an athlete or because he's wealthy - he got a sentence based on the circumstances of what he did.

One thing to think about though is that Goodell could suspend him for the entire time he's on house arrest. Regardless of the crime it doesn't look very good to have someone playing in the NFL who can't even leave his house without permission.

[ThPantherFan]

Our judicial system is not fair. It breeds on itself. Until we people start taking an interest in the judges, district attorneys, etc. that are elected officials, it will remain an unfair system. Our legal system is not about rehabilitation it is about putting a person in jail so the lawyers, jailers, etc. will get more money from the state legislators. He paid someone and got a light sentence. If me or Scrum did the same thing, we would be setting in jail awaiting a jury trial and probably would get life. Our legal system is broke and it can only be fixed if people like you and me started demanding such from our law makers.

[hdevonxz]

he killed a man.

Ray Lewis, Leonard Little.

It's been done before.

[mantal]

Our judicial system is not fair. It breeds on itself. Until we people start taking an interest in the judges, district attorneys, etc. that are elected officials, it will remain an unfair system. Our legal system is not about rehabilitation it is about putting a person in jail so the lawyers, jailers, etc. will get more money from the state legislators. He paid someone and got a light sentence. If me or Scrum did the same thing, we would be setting in jail awaiting a jury trial and probably would get life. Our legal system is broke and it can only be fixed if people like you and me started demanding such from our law makers.

He didn't pay anybody off except the family of the victim to accept what the state of Florida passed as a change to the law 10 years ago. It's not a problem with the family of the victim. He's made his restitution with them.

Losing his right to drive is a harsh punishment for a first time offender. Two years house arrest is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Having to live with killing a man for the rest of his life is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Ten years probation is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Being indefinitely suspended from his profession is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Why should the taxpayers of the state be burdened with paying for extensive jail time for something that the state, the victims family, the judge and the prosecuting attorney are all saying is within the confines of the law and acceptable to them? Staying on the scene, trying to help, calling the police, then cooperating with them, showing true remorse and standing up to take the heat were extenuating circumstances.

I really don't understand where all the hate is coming from, he's been a pretty upstanding guy who made a huge mistake. It's a tragedy no doubt, but if he hadn't had alcohol in his system, it sounds to me that it wouldn't have changed anything except public perception.

I had a friend who bought a large beer to take home to drink. He was broadsided by a women, with her child in the car, who ran a red light. The beer was thrown off the seat and busted. Due to the smell of alcohol in his truck, even with the cap still firmly seated on the top of the bottle, he was charged with a DUI and made solely responsible for the accident. She was not given a ticket for running a red light. Once alcohol came into the picture, that was the end of it, though he had not drunk a drop. You're right, the laws are unfair. Now I have not put myself into a position to get a DUI since 1998, just couldn't happen. A deliberate effort...

Now if he had come up over the curb and plucked the guy off of a bus stop bench, I'd have a different opinion...

[Fiz]

in this thread we find the people who don't understand tort law

[PantherBrew]

Couple points of clarification:

Stallworth is suspended indefinitely, not banned. And the reason the suspension is indefinite is that Goodell does not want to determine the extent of his actual punishment without talking to him.

Once they've talked, there will likely be a suspension of a set length (my guess would be a year). But the current indefinite suspension is essentially "go stand in a corner and you can't play with your friends until I decide what your punishment is".

Also, regarding Stallworth's sentence, if the family agrees with it, I really can't imagine any of us has any standing to say otherwise. You have a right to your own feelings, but this is their loss, not yours. I've said many times it's silly to think you can tell anyone else how to grieve, and that applies here too.

Best post here.

[ThPantherFan]

He didn't pay anybody off except the family of the victim to accept what the state of Florida passed as a change to the law 10 years ago. It's not a problem with the family of the victim. He's made his restitution with them.

Losing his right to drive is a harsh punishment for a first time offender. Two years house arrest is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Having to live with killing a man for the rest of his life is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Ten years probation is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Being indefinitely suspended from his profession is a harsh punishment for a first offender. Why should the taxpayers of the state be burdened with paying for extensive jail time for something that the state, the victims family, the judge and the prosecuting attorney are all saying is within the confines of the law and acceptable to them? Staying on the scene, trying to help, calling the police, then cooperating with them, showing true remorse and standing up to take the heat were extenuating circumstances.

I really don't understand where all the hate is coming from, he's been a pretty upstanding guy who made a huge mistake. It's a tragedy no doubt, but if he hadn't had alcohol in his system, it sounds to me that it wouldn't have changed anything except public perception.

I had a friend who bought a large beer to take home to drink. He was broadsided by a women, with her child in the car, who ran a red light. The beer was thrown off the seat and busted. Due to the smell of alcohol in his truck, even with the cap still firmly seated on the top of the bottle, he was charged with a DUI and made solely responsible for the accident. She was not given a ticket for running a red light. Once alcohol came into the picture, that was the end of it, though he had not drunk a drop. You're right, the laws are unfair. Now I have not put myself into a position to get a DUI since 1998, just couldn't happen. A deliberate effort...

Now if he had come up over the curb and plucked the guy off of a bus stop bench, I'd have a different opinion...

Yes, my point. Our system is in bad need of repair. I believe in rehabilitation and fair punishment for the crime.