(Pictured in their dubut appearance on exposedandnaked, Hamlet and Trooper, the most bad ass German hunting dogs to ever live...no joke).
So, Dante Stallworth was sentenced today. Here's his statement and his punishment.
"I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy," said Stallworth, who was accompanied at the hearing by his parents, siblings and other supporters. "I will bear this burden for the rest of my life."
Stallworth faced a maximum of 15 years in prison with a minimum of 4 years. He got 30days. After his release from jail, Stallworth must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation. Stallworth also must undergo drug and alcohol testing, will have a lifetime driver's license suspension and must perform 1,000 hours of community service. Lyons said after five years, Stallworth could win approval for limited driving such as for employment.
The NFL has said it will review the matter for possible disciplinary action. Lyons said the plea agreement will allow Stallworth to resume his football career.
Ok so here's my issue. I give the guy some credit. Since his vehicular homicide aka killing people with your car while hammered at 7:30a.m., he's said and done everything right. In fact, based on most NFL players experiences with the law, he's like Mother Teresa...excet he killed a man. I think he's shown true remorse. I want to believe that he felt he was ok to drive. Nontheless, Stallworth killed 59-year-old father, Mario Reyes, with his Bentley after a night of drinking at a hotel in Miami. Meanwhile, Michael Vick, as abhorrent as his conduct was, participated in behavior that ultimately led to the destruction to several if not many aging dogs. Dogs. Not people. Not a man. Not a father. I, as much as anyone, despise cruelty to animals, especially dogs, but I also can separate killing a human while negligent and inebriated, from killing a dog. I've been saying for years that Vick never got a fair shake. He was the fall guy for the NFL because he was the rich number 1 guy, because there had been so many run-ins with the law and NFL players, and because he had a thuggish kind of swagger that made it diffult for mainstream white Americans to identify with him. Now I don't have to think he was treated unfairly, I know. This is a complete outrage. Both guys were rich, but Stallworth pays off the family and his gets 30 days. Vick pays fines and serves nearly two years. This is simple proof that because Mike Vick was a leader of a dog fighting ring that perhaps earned and exchanged money, money that the Government couldn't get its hands on, he is hit with the book. The moral of this story is you can kill someone while drunk off your ass, but you can't earn money that the Gov't can't get its hands on. America is a mere shell of what it once was. This pisses me off beyond belief.
