True justice stalls

By: Ken Woods

Posted: 6/24/09

Daunte Stallworth was recently sentenced to 30 days in prison after working out a plea deal in his DUI manslaughter case.

Stallworth killed a pedestrian after knowingly getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated and he is only getting 30 days? That's one of the most ridiculous sentences I have ever heard. Not only that but his case has not received much national media attention other than ESPN.

Remember when a former NFL player was blacklisted, ridiculed, demeaned, stripped of all earnings and called a brutal man who didn't care about animals when he plead guilty to dogfighting charges? In the court of public opinion why was Michael Vick made to be the worst man on earth while no one cares about Daunte Stallworth?

Stallworth killed a human being and not only put pedestrians at risk, but also himself by getting into a vehicle while drunk. Not to mention that Vick got nearly a year in prison and Stallworth will only have to sit in a cell for 30 days after killing a human. Where is the justice in that?

I don't condone either crime, but when did putting animals at risk become harsher than killing a human being who has a family and is an active member of society? When you look at Stallworth's case one may say 'it's all about the money,' but Vick was the highest paid player in the NFL when his case happened so what is it really about?

Stallworth did get his license suspended for life and reached a large financial settlement with the family, but come on man, 30 days for taking someone's life? Vick was undoubtedly a marquee player and one of the most popular players in the NFL when his dogfighting case happened, and now it is clear that everyone wanted to make an example out of Vick.

Stallworth is an average player at best, which served in his favor in his case. Should status and money play into a court decision? Should some athletes be made examples out of for much lesser crimes while others get off with minimal punishment?

These are the questions that must come into play when examining these two cases. Vick did not kill dogs, although he put them at risk. Stallworth murdered a man from behind the wheel of a car, and is virtually getting by easy. The family did agree to the plea deal, but that doesn't mean justice was served. The family of the victim should have requested he stay in jail longer than 30 days. That's not even a real sentence.

Vick received national up-to-the- minute coverage of his case for dogfighting. Dogfighting? Stallworth barely gets coverage on ESPN for DUI manslaughter, unbelievable. Clearly the NFL as well as the national media wanted to bring a prolific, larger-than-life black athlete down to the bottom, and after watching the coverage of this Stallworth case it is clear they succeeded in their goal.

Justice is just another word that doesn't seem to mean anything to anybody anymore.