Quick Decision: Donte Stallworth Suspended Indefinitely by the Commish

On March 14, 2009, shortly after 2:00 a.m., I answered my cell phone in Hawaii and heard the following: "DC, this is bad. I hit a man."

With this simple declaration, Donte’ Stallworth described a tragedy and took personal responsibility for it. Over the next three months, Donte’ and his mother, Donna, guided this process with a simple yet profound directive: "I am responsible. Do the right thing."

I am baffled by the outcry and criticism of Donte’s punishment. In tragic circumstances such as these, our civil and criminal laws are designed to determine who is responsible and hold that person accountable. By immediately accepting his responsibility and agreeing to be held accountable, Donte’ spared the Reyes family the pain of reliving a tragedy and spared the State of Florida the expense and risks of attempting to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in what would have been a highly publicized and hotly contested trial.

Everyone who was involved in this process approved of the result: law enforcement, Florida State Court Judge Dennis Murphy, State Attorney, Katherine Rundle, the Miami/Dade County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and, most importantly, Mr. Reyes’ family. Ms. Rundle stated that: "the unique facts involved with this charge, Mr. Stallworth’s excellent pre-incident history of community service, abundant references that attest to his good character, his lack of any traffic violations or criminal convictions, his full and complete post-incident cooperation with law enforcement, and his willingness to accept complete responsibility for his actions" confirmed that "a just resolution of this case has been reached." This is precisely how the criminal justice system in this country is supposed to work.

We have been asked to justify Donte’s sentence by comparing it to Michael Vick’s sentence. We cannot do so any better than we can explain the difference between an apple and an orange. Sometimes a difference is so obvious that describing it is illusive.

Under our system of justice, every case stands on its own merits and the facts drive the results. A major factor in this resolution was the Reyes family’s desire not to relive this tragedy through a trial, so we will not try this case in the media. However, it must be noted that given "the unique facts involved," causation was in dispute and would have been the central focus of Donte’s defense.

Critics of Donte’ punishment are essentially accusing the judge and the prosecutor of complicity in a scheme that defies description. Had we forced a trial and won an acquittal based on "the unique facts involved," Donte’ would have been exonerated, Mr. Reyes’ daughter would have been psychologically scared, and our critics would have gotten their train wreck. The public has every right to express its opinion, but judicial
determinations are based on facts and evidence.

Any assertion that financial considerations drove the result is offensive, tramples on Mr. Reyes’ memory, and is a vicious accusation about his family. Donte’ accepted his responsibility minutes after the tragedy and accepted his civil responsibility to Mr. Reyes’ family. There was no reason to delay resolution of the civil issues with the family.

Donte’ is a good person who did a bad thing. The authenticity of Donte’s remorse and good character is revealed in the consistency of his conduct throughout this tragic ordeal. From his pained acknowledgment "DC . . . I hit a man" to his statement in open court "I
offer my plea and I accept my responsibility for this tragedy," Donte’ Stallworth has consistently accepted personal responsibility for his conduct and the pain that he caused.

"I am responsible. Do the right thing."

What more could we ask?

-David Cornwell, legal representative for Donte Stallworth