STALLWORTH UPDATE

[ballpeen]

I don't think it would be hard to charge him with OVI at all. They have his blood. If it did in fact come back positive for ANY substance they can slap him with the charges.

 

Illegal substance. Alcohol isn't illegal.

 

.04...half the legal limit is where a lesser charge could be levied, so if he was .01 or something in that range, it won't happen.

 

By accounts, he had at least 7 hours to sober up. The normal person pretty much clears a drink a hour.

 

He said he had 3 beers and a margarita the night before. He cleared that amount in 7 hours. Even if he drank double that amount, he would only show trace amounts....now if the time he stopped was more like 2am....it might be a problem if the amounts he said were higher.....he might start pushing that halfway point.

 

 

 

[glenby73]

If I were crossing the road and an approaching car flashed it's high beams at me, that would indicate to me that the driver has seen me, and acknowledged me, and was a signal that it was ok to cross.

 

If you had time to flash lights, honk horn, you'd think one would have time to stop or slow down enough as to not cause a fatality.

 

Sign Holt.

 

 

Ate, I use to subscribe to the same train of thought. Then I spent several years working in a different city then the one I grew up in and let me tell you, in Youngstown, when someone flashes their high beams at you it means, "I'm coming through!" The high beam flash is meant for YOU to see THEM. It's not, "Go ahead, I see you." It's, "Hey, jackass! Do you not see me barreling down the road here?!?!"

 

A high beam flash translates differently in different places, and it is NOT always combined with a vehicle automatically slowing down. Think of it as the equivalent to a train blowing it's airhorn.

[Guest Aloysius]

Oh puh-lease. mz the pussy whiffed on his attempt at levity, but he's struck comedic gold plenty a time in the past. I think we can afford to cut him some slack.

[Timugen]

here's a thought that just occured to me.... yes, it takes a while....

 

I've heard ZERO about a breathalyzer test...

 

You were in an accident. You hit a pedestrian. You admitted to consuming alcohol the night before (You're a few million richer, who wouldn't). I understand they drew blood, but no breathalyzer ? That's got lawyer written all over it.

 

Wonder which call went out first.... his attorney or 911

 

 

Not sure what the laws are in Florida, but I'm pretty sure that in some states you can refuse a breathalyzer by opting to give a blood sample instead. My guess is that his liar advised him to do so...buying him a little more time for anything that may be in his system to filter out.

 

 

[calfoxwc]

Sounds like extreme high speed and looking down to change the cd. He saw the guy, flashed his lights, but didn't slow down to avoid any problem?

 

Sounds like negligent homicide, ... if true, get the bonus back and can him. He's had a history of auto stuff before.

 

I was trying to wait, like maybe the person ran out from in between parked cars... but this "saw him at a distance" is bad.

 

Very tragic for the family of the guy who got killed. He knows that area well, apparently, and wasn't expecting a Bentley to be going

120 and thought he could cross, maybe.

 

We'll see more info later.

[glenby73]

Illegal substance. Alcohol isn't illegal.

 

.04...half the legal limit is where a lesser charge could be levied, so if he was .01 or something in that range, it won't happen.

 

By accounts, he had at least 7 hours to sober up. The normal person pretty much clears a drink a hour.

 

He said he had 3 beers and a margarita the night before. He cleared that amount in 7 hours. Even if he drank double that amount, he would only show trace amounts....now if the time he stopped was more like 2am....it might be a problem if the amounts he said were higher.....he might start pushing that halfway point.

 

 

I know alcohol isn't illegal.

 

I thought they said he admitted to about four patrons and margaritas (one or two, don't remember).

 

I don't know how they do it in Florida but don't be surprised if they slap him with an OVI even if his BAC is under the legal limit. That's just a starting point. Plea bargains and lesser charges come later.

 

 

And let's be honest, how many of us have ever been completely truthful when telling the arresting officer how much we had to drink and when? I know I wasn't.

[NewEraDawg]

Ask yourself this . How many people are truthful when asked how many drinks they have consumed ? I think it is a joke to take anyones word for the amount of alcohol they have consumed . Hell they probably lose track very soon .

 

Better just wait on the report . If he has any drugs in him it will show in a day or two .

[glenby73]

Sounds like extreme high speed and looking down to change the cd. He saw the guy, flashed his lights, but didn't slow down to avoid any problem?

 

Sounds like negligent homicide, ... if true, get the bonus back and can him. He's had a history of auto stuff before.

 

I was trying to wait, like maybe the person ran out from in between parked cars... but this "saw him at a distance" is bad.

 

Very tragic for the family of the guy who got killed. He knows that area well, apparently, and wasn't expecting a Bentley to be going

120 and thought he could cross, maybe.

 

We'll see more info later.

 

 

I considered speed too, but if you see the video someone posted earlier in this thread, the Bentley doesn't look like it's more than 50 feet or so from where the shoe is sitting ( I could be wrong... not the best at guessing distances, or speeds for that matter).

 

I don't know that you would be able to see any skid marks from that particular camera angle but I didn't see any. Not sure at this point if the brakes were applied with any kind of force that would indicate a last second, "Oh $h!t!!"

 

But changing a cd or texting is a very real scenario at this time.

 

[Oldcrow1945]

Oh puh-lease. mz the pussy whiffed on his attempt at levity, but he's struck comedic gold plenty a time in the past. I think we can afford to cut him some slack.

 

Oh puh-lease.....How about trying not to be patronizing. What offends me may not offend you. You don't know my personal history and why a subject like this could mean something more to me.

 

You can cut him slack. That is totally up to you. But don't patronize me if I don't. That is also up to me.

 

[ballpeen]

Not sure what the laws are in Florida, but I'm pretty sure that in some states you can refuse a breathalyzer by opting to give a blood sample instead. My guess is that his liar advised him to do so...buying him a little more time for anything that may be in his system to filter out.

 

 

You can request that in all states......blood work is always more accurate.

 

If I was stopped and asked to submit to testing...I would always opt for bloodwork if I knew I had been drinking but wasn't drunk. Breathalyzers aren't always that accurate. Who knows when they last had it calibrated.

 

If I was dumb enough to be driving and knew I was drunk..I would refuse all testing. No sense in giving them proof since you are going to lose your license anyway....might as well try to avoid the jail and DUI charge.

 

[Guest Aloysius]

You're right - I don't know about your personal history, and I'm sorry if this is a painful subject for you.

 

But if that's the case, sending a PM to Mike may be a better option; publicly calling for him to be ostracized isn't going to make things any better.

[Flugel]

Seriously? Is it a tad sanctimonious in here or is it just me?

 

Good God, people, do you really find it necessary to saddle up the high horse and ride in situations like this?

 

Does everyone have to post with their hearts on their sleeves to meet your moral standard for this situation? Do we all have to offer prayers to the family of the victim and to Donte Stallworth?

 

Why?

 

Are we praying for the millions of poor in the world while we discuss the millions of dollars being given to athletes as though they ACTUALLY deserve it?

 

Are we praying for the rest of the thousands of people all over the world who were killed yesterday, accidentally and worse yet, intentionally?

 

GREAT question! I actually had someone on this thread tell me he is going to pray for me because he didn't like the fact that I held Stallworth acountable for his history of breaking the law on the road. This time somebody DIED when a Bentley should have been a LIMO driven been somone OTHER than the millionaire under the influence. If this was some welfare dude that did the SAME exact thing - nobody would have questioned any comments indicating he should be held accountable. Instead it's a CLEVELAND BROWN so the criteria changes. Unfortunately, one's dedication to Jesus, God, Mohammad, Budda, Nike should have NEVER entered this thread. So much for walking the walk about judging others in that creed. Hence, my reply - faith is a journey not a guilt trip.

 

Bottom line: and I said this yesterday - if this was a Steeler or Ratbird we were reading about he'd be labelled a scum bag. Instead, it's another overpaid, sandbagging FA that hasn't been worth testicle sweat here in Cleveland cashing in on his new bonus. That guy is about as devoted to the Cleveland Browns and their fanbase as any other FA that came into town merely to cash paychecks. He doesn't give a crap about the history of the Browns or having the Browns make history again. He's type of goofball that will charge your kid a $1 for his autograph. He's NOT the type pf player you grew up adoring here in Cleveland. If I gotta educate people on that - then the homer denial dome is too thick to penetrate. Stallworth is cap cholesterol. I didn't get 1 single hint of quality from this guy in 2008. He went Randy Moss in Oakland on us with one of those injuries measured by "how much discomfort are you feeling today on a scale of 1-10?" If we had a magic season going on wanna bet that injury would have disappeared like a Houdini rabbit? We weren't worth it to him but somehow this guy gets a roster bonus of $4-$5 million dollars. Sorry, I just don't feel like joinging hands and singing Koombaya for him. I'd rather be reading about an upgraded commitment to his career and franchise hoping for some degree of exchange value they haven't gotten yet. Did Peyton Manning from the same college ever celebrate his successes this way in the offseason? Sometime soon - we gotta start paying the RIGHT people. We've had way too many Jerry Ball types that want the money without sweating for it.

 

He MAY indeed feel bad BUT millions of dollars don't make you above the law nor does it give someone's LIFE back right??? As we've seen in the past, if you have millions like Leonard Little did - it's just a slap on the wrist in the end. And if memory serves me right, Little got in trouble again on the highway AFTER his manslaughter thing. Lesson learned? If not, why do you suppose it wasn't?

 

If people want to PRAY for Donte or whoever - go right ahead. There's nothing wrong with that if that's your thing. If you gotta announce it like you need a pat on the back for being religious while pretending you're not juding others - people see right through the plasticity. I'm coming from a place that says if priviledged people that aren't ever asked to FOLLOW the laws like other citizens have to - people with HISTORY like Donte come to strike 2. This time strike 2 ended someone's life and impacted the rest of the lives of his family. Had the strike 1 penalty been more meaningful than a $50 dollar fine maybe this guy learns from it and we prevent the recent tragedy so there's a "happily ever after" here. Guess what?

- Tom F.

[NewEraDawg]

GREAT question! I actually had someone on this thread tell me he is going to pray for me because he didn't like the fact that I held Stallworth acountable for his history of breaking the law on the road. This time somebody DIED when a Bentley should have been a LIMO driven been somone OTHER than the millionaire under the influence. If this was some welfare dude that did the SAME exact thing - nobody would have questioned any comments indicating he should be held accountable. Instead it's a CLEVELAND BROWN so the criteria changes. Unfortunately, one's dedication to Jesus, God, Mohammad, Budda, Nike should have NEVER entered become a part of this thread. So much walking the walk about judging others in that creed. Hence, my reply - faith is a journey not a guilt trip.

 

Bottom line: and I said this yesterday - if this was a Steeler or Ratbird we were reading about he'd be labelled a scum bag. Instead, it's another overpaid, sandbagging FA that hasn't been worth testicle sweat here in Cleveland cashing in on his new bonus. That guy is about as devoted to the Cleveland Browns and their fanbase as any other FA that came into town merely to cash paychecks. He doesn't give a crap about the history of the Browns or having the Browns make history again. He's type of goofball that will charge your kid a $1 for his autograph. He's NOT the type pf player you grew up adoring here in Cleveland. If I gotta educate people on that - then the homer denial dome is too thick to penetrate. Stallworth is cap cholesterol. I didn't get 1 single hint of quality from this guy in 2008.

 

He MAY indeed feel bad BUT millions of dollars don't make you above the law nor does it give someone's LIFE back right??? As we've seen in the past, if you have millions like Leonard Little did - it's just a slap on the wrist in the end. And if memory serves me right, Little got in trouble again on the highway AFTER his manslaughter thing. Lesson learned? If not, why do you suppose it wasn't?

 

If people want to PRAY for Donte or whoever - go right ahead. There's nothing wrong with that if that's your thing. If you gotta announce it like you need a pat on the back for being religious while pretending you're not juding others - people see right through the plasticity. I'm coming from a place that says if priviledged people that aren't ever asked to FOLLOW the laws like other citizens have to - people with HISTORY like Donte come to strike 2. This time strike 2 ended someone's life and impacted the rest of the lives of his family. Had the strike 1 penalty been more meaningful than a $50 dollar fine maybe this guy learns from it and we prevent the recent tragedy so there's a "happily ever after" here. Guess what?

- Tom F.

 

 

I am new here and am not aware of your traditions . But if you do such a thing I would like to make this a post of the year entry .

[Flugel]

This doesn't make any sense at all. If you admit to seeing the person from a distance and flashing your lights and you STILL hit him that either means A) You did see him but were too buzzed up and traveling way too fast to react in time B)You never saw him to begin with but you lied to make it look like you were more alert than what you were at the time. Or there is always the possibility of being completely sober and your foot slipped off the brake. But this has guilt ritten all over it.

 

Exactly! He'll get out of this the same way Leonard Little did with a slap on the wrist. Flashing brights on a bright sunny Florida morning doesn't sound like the driver had CONTROL over his vision, speed and mind. Not for nothing, when you've partied past midnight - how often are you up and on the road by 7:00am the next morning? Here's a concept, slow your ass down or go slow enough so that it's possible to do so if something like this requires you to slow down or apply the brakes so the person in question can respond to the HORN he hears from the sound mind sounding it. Make sense?

 

I think I can speak for ALOT of people here when I say we've all seen a kid on a bike/running, not looking where he's going while we're driving toward him, so that we've been able to adapt, use our horn and be in a position to make a complete stop if necessary. You CANNOT do such a thing if you put yourself above the law, drive impaired and go so fast you've got zero control over anything but your brights. Donte gets a 3rd chance with the law while the victim doesn't get a second chance at life. Fair?

 

This is a tragedy but the most unfortunate thing about it all was it was completely avoidable. Bottom line: Donte should have been Miss Daisey if he had her temporary mindset.

- Tom F.

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

So sad for the Family !!! And For Stallworth... I Hope he was just in a very unfortunate accident. And Not on the back end of a night of celebration. Either way he will be devastated with the guilt associated with this event. Hope he has good people around him.

[Flugel]

I know alcohol isn't illegal.

 

I thought they said he admitted to about four patrons and margaritas (one or two, don't remember).

 

I don't know how they do it in Florida but don't be surprised if they slap him with an OVI even if his BAC is under the legal limit. That's just a starting point. Plea bargains and lesser charges come later.

 

 

And let's be honest, how many of us have ever been completely truthful when telling the arresting officer how much we had to drink and when? I know I wasn't.

 

One of my buddies pulled over a drunk guy driving a truck home after he knocked down a light pole on the side of a highway. He said I asked the guy how fast he was going. The guy replied: "Officer I wasn't going that fast - ballpark: 20-25 miles per hour." Before asking the guy to step out of the car he responded with: "Really? How fast was the pole moving?"

 

Operation cover-thy-fanny breaks out all the defense mechanisms including distortions of the truth when/if there's severe consequences ahead.

- Tom F.

[ballpeen]

And let's be honest, how many of us have ever been completely truthful when telling the arresting officer how much we had to drink and when? I know I wasn't.

 

I agree with that....but that is usually the statement from a drunk person. Since he wasn't arrested at the time, it doesn't make any sense to stretch the truth at that point....

 

 

3-4 beers or whatever he said he had and a margerita before midnight might have made him drunk at 1 am....if he had done that over a 3-4 hour period, maybe not...but he wouldn't have been intoxicated at 7-8 am the next morning.

 

Anyway...spending too much time debating something on which I don't have any real facts, so now is as good a time to leave the debate as any.

 

[Oldcrow1945]

You're right - I don't know about your personal history, and I'm sorry if this is a painful subject for you.

 

But if that's the case, sending a PM to Mike may be a better option; publicly calling for him to be ostracized isn't going to make things any better.

 

Fair enough

 

[YtownBrownsBacker]

A whole lot of asumptions here without getting the facts............................................

 

Maybe he was sober, in control of his car and the man ran out in front of him being tired from working all night and didn't pay attention. He was late for his bus.

 

or

 

Maybe Stallworth was snorting and texting and felt he had the right away so he wanted to just give him a nudge.

 

WTF.............................give him a fair trial then hang him.

[DeadWombat]

This is exactly what we DON'T need. We just released Joe Jurevicius for crying out loud!

 

 

....

 

 

 

Its not like Stallworth is our Larry Fitzgerald or anything, but man, we gotta work with what we got!

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Lets face reality here. The guy is driving his Bentley in Miami at 7:00 A.M. Headed towards the beach according to the news. I would bet anyone in here that he was out partying all night. Just got the bonus my brothas and all is good to go. Get real. He was high or drunk. Fire his ass.

[PB&J]

Ever heard of innocent until proven guilty? Stallworth has the right to due process, and so far no charges have been filed. As far as we know right now it was a horrible accident, and Donte is innocent.

[Flugel]

Ever heard of innocent until proven guilty?

 

PBJ,

What's slam dunking innocence here? His contol over his vehicle, being up before 7am after partying past midnight? Flashing brights on a sunny Florida morning? Is this the FIRST time Stallowrth broke the laws of the highway? Where to begin?

 

There's alot of Americans that haven't put themselves in this position. First and foremost, they haven't placed themselves above the law. Second, don't you think an ounce of prevention beats intervention in this case? What's intervention going to accomplish now that somebody died? The time to think about it isn't AFTER you killed somebody. Too late. If this were your friend or family member - and you KNOW there's a chance Donte can get the same wrist slap Leonard Little got - would you be worried about innocent until proven guilty? You know you wouldn't. There's better ways to handle a bonus that wasn't deserved in the first place.

 

Ever hear of hiring a driver when you are in no condition to drive? I NEVER realized how educational "Driving Miss Daisey" would become. And I believe she had Alzheimers and Dementia. Well, Donte may not be as bright as someone with Alzheimers but there's 5 million $ from Randy Lerner that says he never had to be. I'm just sayin...

- Tom F.

[ballpeen]

PBJ,

What's slam dunking innocence here? His contol over his vehicle, being up before 7am after partying past midnight? Flashing brights on a sunny Florida morning? Is this the FIRST time Stallowrth broke the laws of the highway? Where to begin?

 

There's alot of Americans that haven't put themselves in this position. First and foremost, they haven't placed themselves above the law. Second, don't you think an ounce of prevention beats intervention in this case? What's intervention going to accomplish now that somebody died? The time to think about it isn't AFTER you killed somebody. Too late. If this were your friend or family member - and you KNOW there's a chance Donte can get the same wrist slap Leonard Little got - would you be worried about innocent until proven guilty? You know you wouldn't. There's better ways to handle a bonus that wasn't deserved in the first place.

 

Ever hear of hiring a driver when you are in no condition to drive? I NEVER realized how educational "Driving Miss Daisey" would become. And I believe she had Alzheimers and Dementia. Well, Donte may not be as bright as someone with Alzheimers but there's 5 million $ from Randy Lerner that says he never had to be. I'm just sayin...

- Tom F.

 

 

Really man.....you don't know what your're talking about.....you're just talking.

 

 

Just being up before 7am....I haven't slept past 7am in 25 years

 

 

STFU

 

 

Just sayin

 

[Sez.EJ]

I think looking for Stallworths replacement is highly premature. First we do not know if he will be charged with anything. If he is charged..there will be an arraignment and a trial date, postponement, postponement, postponement... so the trial may not happen for a year or more. The commish is likely to hold off on any suspension until the verdict is in. We saw this with Matt Jones of the Jags when he was busted with coke. He played nearly the whole season until he was sentenced. Only then was he suspended by the commish. Now if his blood test comes in at 1.3 or something they (The Browns) may act sooner. But even that information can be squashed by a good attorney so no one knows what his blood alc. level is. I see this in my job all the time.. The guys I deal with cannot even afford high priced legal council like Stallworth can.. So they may make a motion not allow that out publicly at all. So I think for now.. You count on him being here for this season. Yeah, we gotta prepare..But I think a lot more "may" be known prior to the draft. I am just saying the commish may be slow to act and wait on the trial like he did for Matt Jones. Stallworth does not have a horrible history like a pacman. So the commish has shown he will be patient before the hammer fall. I think stallworth will be around this year.

[ITHIKA]

It might be a blessing in disguise if the guy is cut! His best days are far behind him, let move on!

[JewDago]

while i agree that nothing is even remotely certain about stallworth's future right now and that he could end up without even so much as a fine or even a single-game suspension, i think it's only prudent that the browns prepare for the season as though he were to be banned from the league.

 

while goodell hasn't made rash decisions in the past, this is (i think) the first time a player has been directly involved in someone's death while he's been in power, and taking someone's life, whether intentional or not, carries the utmost importance.

 

his uncertain status combined with his ineffectiveness the previous season and edwards' impending departure have made WR a position of extreme need.

 

even if stallworth still has a career, the browns will still need someone to play opposite him next season. it's in no way imprudent to draft a WR this year.

[Gips]

I agree completely Sez..he may be innocent even though i was hopeful of a replacement way before this event happened but if mankis thinks he can play i can live with it and will be able to say "i told you so"when he is on the bench by the end of 3 games...that only applies if he can actually catch the ball and has to take some heat...

 

I think hubbard has a lot of potential but has an inconsistancy problem not unlike our slot 1 guy...butterfingers edwards.

[Legacy Fan]

it's in no way imprudent to draft a WR this year.

 

Agreed. Hakeem Nicks.

[Browns2405]

HERALD CROSSES THE LINE WITH STALLWORTH VIDEO

Posted by Mike Florio on March 15, 2009, 8:43 p.m.

We realize that the newspaper business is struggling. But we didn’t realize that one of the plans for salvaging the industry involving reprising the 80s-era Faces of Death series.

 

The Miami Herald has posted at its web site video of the aftermath of Saturday’s collision involving Donte’ Stallworth’s Bentley and 59-year-old Mario Reyes.

 

The video — which appears with a disclaimer that the images are graphic — includes shots of emergency workers attempting to revive Mr. Reyes, who would later die.

 

The video also shows Stallworth, standing on the sidewalk as police shine a light into his eyes as part of a field sobriety test.

 

The video doesn’t really show much of anything worth much of anything. So why in the hell did they post it?

 

If this is how the old media plans to compete with the new media, the old media will be gone sooner than anyone ever realized.

 

And no one will really miss it.

 

The only new information of note in the latest article is that a witness claims that the incident occurred after Stallworth tried to beat a red light by going around a vehicle that already had stopped at the light. If that’s the case, Stallworth might be in big trouble even if his blood alcohol content was below the legal limit.

 

 

Man the more I read the more the of a sick feeling I get. I"m not saying Stallworth is a bad person. He's had no really outstanding issues before this. But if that bolded section is true it's making it hard for me to support him or see how he's going to play in the NFL anymore. I really thought bringing him to CLE would help our offense. Granted he's never been a consistent go-to guy, but his stretch the field ability would help. He helped out NE a lot on their way to the perfect reg. season. It's still quite a shame. I am in now way calling him a bad person but still some questionable decisions seemed to have been made by Stallworth. Could have called a for a DD. I really hope this isn't tue. My thoughts and prayers remain with the victim's family and Donte.