Just Say No! To Stallworth
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins need a number 1 WR and there are some that believe that recently waived Cleveland Browns WR Donte’ Stallworthwould be an upgrade over everything currently on the Miami Dolphins roster. Maybe, but for starters Stallworth is not a number 1 WR and that says nothing of the immediate flag that waves over his head. Simply, just say no to Donte’ Stallworth.
To recap the last year of Donte’ Stallworth’s life, we go way back to before this past season started, back to mid-March 2009 when a car being driven by Donte’ who had been drinking, hit Mario Reyes of Miami shortly after 7am on that Saturday as Reyes was leaving work.
Stallworth spent 30 days in jail for his vehicular manslaughter and settled a civil case out of court. He was suspended by the league for a year and after the Super Bowl was re-instated by Commissioner Roger Goodell. He was immediately released by the Browns the next day.
So why should Miami skip the look at a FA WR who might help them? Well, it’s not because of any adverse opinion on the charges, the ridiculous sentence, or the fact that he settled out of court. Stallworth is not a likely repeat offender waiting in the wings and it’s unlikely the draw of Southbeach would create an impulse to bad behavior. No, the Dolphins can look past all of that, but the one thing they can’t, and shouldn’t look past, is the remaining family of Mr. Reyes.
It’s bad enough to have to read in the paper and see on the news a year removed from losing your husband and father that the person responsible is now allowed back into the job that made his name recognizable but the thought that, that individual, could be hearing cheers from the very hometown that he took that life to begin with.
Detroit? Kansas City? Far enough away that the pain and memory can heal, 15 to 20 miles up the road? Not so much. The Dolphins don’t need the press surrounding a signing of a player who a year ago killed one of the cities own. It’s just not good any way you look at it.
The NFL and all sports for that matter are rarely considerate of what happens around them unless it happens to them. It’s not a knock, it’s business, but this is one of those times that looking at the situation and asking if they should, should be enough to just say no.