BLC's founder John Landsberg began his career as a sportswriter at The Lorain (OH) Journal and later moved to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. In July 2005, he began writing a monthly sports column for Kansas City Sports and Fitness.
STALLWORTH LUCKY HE DIDN’T STRIKE A DOG
KC Sports & Fitness, July 2009 By John Landsberg How silly is it that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth was given 30 days in jail for hitting and killing some poor slob while driving drunk (and possibly on drugs), but Michael Vick was given two years in prison for killing some dogs? Talk about a screwed up world we live in these days. It is a world where the NFL commissioner now has to punish Stallworth because our legal system enables rich jocks to buy their way out of trouble, but the commissioner will have to punish him for PR reasons. It is a sad commentary to the youth that athletic stardom and riches can virtually get you out of anything (see Simpson, O.J.). Who cares if Stallworth killed a guy who was walking to a bus stop after getting off work?Jock sniffers are quick to call into sports talk shows and give their brilliant opinion, “Hey, the guy may have been jaywalking. Good point. If the guy was jaywalking he probably deserved to get run over. Heck, is there a way we can charge the guy for scratching the hell out of Stallworth’s Bentley? Those aren’t cheap cars to repair. Vick and Stallworth (and let’s even toss in Plaxico Burress, who shot himself in a night club while playing with his Glock) epitomize many of the athletes we see today.They are a product of their generation where athletic skill and money are all-important. They have the athletic skills, are paid millions, and therefore can do any damn thing they want. Unfortunately for Vick he really pushed the envelope by offending dog lovers. The worst thing anyone can do these days is be politically incorrect and now PETA will use him for years as its personal PR pińata. Stallworth simply killed Mario Reyes, who by all accounts was a good family man who worked as a crane operator and could not afford a car. Let’s face it, his loss is not nearly as big compared to Stallworth’s potential contributions on a football field. The reported fact that Stallworth “worked out a financial settlement” with the Reyes family pretty much says it all.It certainly sounds like the famous “What will it take to shut you up about me running down your loved one?” The family probably used a wheelbarrow to haul the money necessary to get over their loss. A New York prosecutor said the unspeakable in an article in the New York Daily News about Stallworth’s sentence.“I believe it undermines the public's perception of fairness in the criminal justice system. Whether it is accurate or not, this sentence gives the appearance that another wealthy celebrity was given tremendous leniency.” You think? Stallworth and Vick followed the same path to the NFL.Stallworth was a star receiver at Tennessee who bolted to the NFL after his junior year; Vick bailed out of Virginia Tech after his sophomore year. You can bet both guys were dedicated students who were not shown any favoritism during their college careers. I’m also sure that polar bears don’t crap on the ice… A guy who was a guard at Leavenworth when Vick arrived sent me a note saying that Vick fit in perfectly in the prison system except he received enormous amount of mail, mostly from a bevy of “fat chicks” around the country. “He blended right in with all the other thug boys, only he had a bigger bank account,” said my source. “He was caught stealing chicken from the dining room within his first 10 days and had to work it off washing dishes in the kitchen. “I wonder if he’ll put that in his book”. I wrote in an earlier column that Vick’s sentence for dog fighting and related issues was way over-the-top.One can only hope that he learned an important lesson:animals’ lives are more important than human beings. It is a lesson that Donte Stallworth already knows.He should thank his lucky stars he didn’t hit a dog…
Copyright 2010 Bottom Line Communications. BLC is a Media News Web site that analyzes media and marketing issues. Please give credit or link to http://www.bottomlinecom.com when using any materials. Click on the FEEDBACK tab to send any media tips/comments/thoughts/ to us. We honor all off-the-record requests and will correct/clarify any information found not to be 100% accurate.
