On Thursday, the NFL suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donté Stallworth for the entire season, so don’t expect to see him in NFL preseason betting.
Stallworth had declared himself guilty of killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.Stallworth is forbidden from participating in any type of activity with his team until alter the Super Bowl, which means NFL preseason betting on the Browns will have to change, as it won’t include Stallworth.
“Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man,” said the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a letter he sent to Stallworth. “The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations.”
Stallworth hit and killed Mario Reyes on March 14th in the city of Miami. He declared himself guilty of homicide and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. On July 10th he was released after having only served 24. He also reached a financial settlement of an undisclosed amount with the Reyes family.
In addition to the 30 days in jail, he was sentenced to 2 years of house arrest, with 8 years of probation, and a whopping 1000 hours of community service.
Just one year prior to the incident, he had signed a 7 year, 35 million dollar contract with the Cleveland Browns. Now, he will be suspended for an entire year, without pay. As NFL players get used to luxuries, Stallworth is going to have to remember that he receives no pay until the next NFL preseason betting, and will have to budget his money for the season and the next two years in house arrest.
He will, however, be able to train with a physical conditioning coach, and though not formally employed by the NFL he remains under contract with the Browns and on their roster, thus a member of the team. After his suspension, he will return to work in time for NFL preseason betting in 2010.
His confinement can’t be that bad. Though some say he deserves more, he is still being hit with a decent sentence. He’s spending the next 10 years under the supervision of the law. Whether or not any common person would receive the same sentence is debatable. But that’s probably the benefit of being a celebrity and having a large enough bankroll.
So try your hand at NFL preseason betting on the Cleveland Browns without Donté.