Is Donte Stallworth's NFL Career Over?

Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth is the latest athlete to find himself in legal trouble. Tragically for Stallworth, his trouble has resulted in the loss of someone's life. Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian, Mario Reyes, on March 14, 2009, and is now facing DUI manslaughter chargers. Stallworth's NFL career is in jeopardy, a problem that pales in comparison to the pain the family of Mr. Reyes must be going through.

Donte Stallworth's NFL career began in 2002, when he was drafted in the first round by, the New Orleans Saints. Stallworth caught eight touchdown passes his rookie year. After four seasons with the Saints, Stallworth would play for three other teams, the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and currently the Cleveland Browns.

Last year, Stallworth signed a 7 year deal worth $35 million with the Browns, before the 2008 season began. His first year with the Browns was not productive, due to injuries. Stallworth played in only 11 games last year, starting in seven. Now it appears Stallworth's first year with the Browns, may be his last with the team.

Stallworth has been with the Browns recently, participating in voluntary off-season activities. Recent reports however, suggest Stallworth will be arrested soon and charged with DUI manslaughter. As the Cleveland Browns prepare for their upcoming season, Stallworth must now prepare to deal with his grim reality.

It's always sad to see athletes waste their talents by behaving badly and making poor decisions. When their actions cause injury or death to another, it becomes tragic. Football was a game Donte Stallworth played and now the game is over, or at the very least on hold.

Football careers are often too short and life always is. May others learn from this and make decisions that don't put themselves or others in danger.

Lets hope the Reye's and Stallworth families find the strength to get through this unfortunate ordeal.

Sources:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4033632&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/playerStats?statsId=5899
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/player.php?id=3391
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/04/01/stallworth.ap/index.html
http://football.about.com/od/nflplayerprofiles/p/dontestallworth.htm
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4033632