Should the Patriots Bring Donte Stallworth Back?
The Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, the team announced Monday. After a year-long suspension for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk, Stallworth was reinstated Sunday by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell said Friday he met with Stallworth about a month ago, and the receiver is “in a better place than he was.” Goodell said Stallworth recognized what he did wrong and has prepared himself to return to the NFL. Stallworth, 28, was charged with DUI manslaughter March 14 in an early morning accident that killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes, a Miami construction worker who was on his way home.
If it were up to me… and God willing some day it will be… I’d have Donte’ Stallworth in a Patriots uniform by the end of business today. I know the Pats have long had a reputation as the NFL’s Halfway House. The place where troubled guys go to get re-acclimated into decent society, but this isn’t that kind of situation at all. When Stallworth first went to jail for the fatal accident, both El Pres and I wrote almost identical blogs saying this was one of those things that could’ve happened to anybody. Which is why the call them “accidents.” That tragic as it was, Stallworth owned up to it more than he legally needed to, and anyone who was getting up on a soapbox declaring that he got special treatment because he’s rich and famous has no idea what they were talking about. Or worse, was just being sanctimonious. If anything, the whole way Stallworth conducted himself speaks to his character. But to speak to a more relevant point, the guy is exactly what this team was lacking this year. A 3rd receiver who can not only stretch defenses and draw safeties away from Randy Moss, but more importantly knows the offense and can get open. Because that’s what killed the Pats offense more than any other thing this year. No one outside of Moss, Welker and Julian Edelman could get separation, find seams, sit under routes and get YAC. Joey Galloway can still run out of the building (and believe me I was glad when he ran out and didn’t come back), but couldn’t get open. Sam Aiken is a career special teamer for a reason. Especially with Welker as the frontrunner for 2011 Comeback Player of the Year, Stallworth is the perfect fit.
And as a last point, Peter King had this little item back in ‘07:
The text messages from free-agent wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, began enthusiastically on the first night of his visit to New England, after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady happened by Stallworth’s table at a Boston restaurant on March 5 to preach the team’s gospel. By the next day, as Stallworth was meeting in Foxborough with Pats officials, the texts to Rosenhaus revealed a man whose mind was made up. I want to be here. Let’s get it done. I don’t want to leave here without a contract.
I hope he still feels the same way.
Jerry Thornton | Random Thoughts | 02/9/10, 4:15 pm |
17 People have left comments on this post
He’ll probably work for peanuts, and there is no loss fi he cut it in camp and we send him packing. Why not?
Also, is Vin Baker still alive?
He didnt get special treatment because he is rich and famous? Maybe not cause he is famous….but certainly because he is rich.
Uhm if that was a regular guy who killed him he wouldn’t have had the money to pay for such a great lawyer. Nor would a regular guy have had the money to settle with the family of the victim and have them get your back in court.
You think if he didn’t pay this guys family they would have asked for leniency?! Highly unlikely.
Sure bring him back to the Pats cause he can fill a void and would most likely be cheap….but dont try and color it through your Patriot colored glasses.
Also I’m not saying throwing him in the klink to rot in jail is the right idea either. Ruining another guy’s life isn’t going to bring back the victim. But dont give me this “he didnt get special treatment” shit.
It could’ve happened to anybody who is a big enough of a scumbag to drive home with a 0.12 BAC, yes. Could’ve happened to anybody, no.
I’m all for bringing guys back who were on the Pats when the team was successful. I liked Stallworth, even though he was here for only one year. And he knows the system, so you don’t have to worry about having another Joey Galloway on the team.
Yes.
Ya being a millionaire definately helped him out but he did seem remorsful and took it to heart. Absoultely give him a shot. I mean it’s mot like he stabbed somebody…cough Ray Lewis.
hey jerry why do you feel like you have to downplay what stallworth did?
“he owned up to it more than he legally had to” is a legit retarded thing to think, nevermind post on a blog.
just so you know, whether or not a person “owns up” to something has no legal significance you asshole. stallworth got drunk and fuckin killed a guy, bottom line, owning up to it has nothing to do with the punishment he did or didnt get.
just to be clear, im not saying stallworth got any type of special treatment, nor am i saying he deserves more of a punishment he got, im saying that youre a total douche bag for calling it was an “accident” that could happen to anyone.
dui manslaughters dont happen to “just anyone” they actually only happen to people who get shitfaced and drive around you ignorant prick
hmmm, and people around here call Ray Lewis a ‘killer,’ and a ‘murderer’…
“Hey, if he’s on my team he’s O.K. and just maybe the best in the league…let alone the best all-time.”
I dont agree with what he did. I mean, you have all this money, what kind of ego do you have that you cant hire a driver when your going out drinking. Its amazing the stupidity of some of these guys. Billy Joel does the same thing, that guy has like 4 DUIs.
That being said, I would love to see Dante back in a Pats Uni. He was fast, he ran routes well, he knows the system, and he had some of the sickest moves after the carry that I have seen in a long time…
Probably would work for nothing… epitome of a low-risk, high-reward…
Sign him to a low contract.
Cut his ass if he doesn’t prove himself in camp.
Stallorth served his time. I’m not commenting on what he did. But I was saying it all year. We missed Stallworth BIG TIME. He knew the offense and was a big 3rd receive threat because of what he could do after he caught the ball. I say bring him back in a heartbeat!!!!!
People wanted to hang Vick for what he did, and although it was horrible that he killed all of those dogs……HE KILLED DOGS and went to prison for over a YEAR. This guy KILLED A PERSON and went to prison for a MONTH! Somthin aint right. There is NO WAY that you should be able to kill somebody and then go back to earning millions of dollars.
never condone drunk driving or anything but i remember that there was something up with the accident, the victim did something crazy like dart out of the bushes on a freeway at 5am.
sign him up, give him a shot. he got reinstated by the NFL so i’m sure they did their diligence.
Thebigone,
It happens every day in every district court in the country. First offense OUI gets you in a program, not jail. He didn’t have to take the Breathalyzer. Cops didn’t have him behind the wheel so they couldn’t prove operation. He could’ve taken this trial to a judge who would’ve found him not guilty from lack of evidence. That’s the fact, Jack.
The point is that Ray Lewis was involved with a stabbing which doesn’t fall under the category of an “accident”. I don’t know if Stallworth got what he deserved but Lewis absolutely deserves to go to jail. Nothing to do with who he plays for ya jerk off.
Money afforded him a good lawyer. If you look at the ESPN story that Michael Smith did you would see that the victim was just as at fault as Stallworth was. In fact, had Stallworth not been over the limit I don’t think any charges would’ve been filed. The victim was crossing over a highway and darted out from behind a tree. It was truly an unfortunate accident for all involved.
The author writes:
” But to speak to a more relevant point, the guy is exactly what this team was lacking this year. A 3rd receiver who can not only stretch defenses and draw safeties away from Randy Moss”
Pretty silly statement. Most teams would kill to have Randy and Wes. Can anyone name four play-off teams with a better 1-2 punch? The Pats were missing a 3rd great receiver? Really?
Weak statement.
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