A Lesson on the Value of Human Life from the NFL
- 08.11.09
- Culture, Priorities, Donte Stallworth, Michael Vick
- 5 Comments
There’s something that’s been bothering me for some time now. I’m an avid fan of the NFL and can’t wait for the season to begin, but during the off-season this year, some disturbing things have happened. Poor behavior is a norm for many NFL players. Give millions of dollars to young men who have not been raised well and who think the world owes them something because they have athletic prowess, and trouble is never far behind. But what has me scratching my head and questioning the value that our society places on human life is how our “justice” system has handled the crimes of two current NFL players.
Most people are aware of the animal abuse case against Michael Vick. Three years ago, Vick pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty for funding and overseeing a brutal dog fighting scheme. He even admitted to being present when wounded dogs were brutally disposed of by their owners. His behavior was abhorrent and the details of his actions turned the stomach of our nation. For his crime, Vick served 23 months in prison.
Earlier this year, another NFL player, Donte Stallworth, pleaded guilty as well to a horrible crime. Stallworth was driving toward Miami Beach after a night of drinking and struck and killed a 59 year-old crane operator trying to catch a bus home after working an overnight shift. Stallworth’s blood alcohol content was over Florida’s legal limit, and he was speeding when he struck the man. He was charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter. For his crime, Stallworth served 24 days in jail.
Is it me, or is there something wrong with this picture? A man who killed dogs serves 23 months in prison, but a man who killed another human being serves only 24 days in jail. Obviously, Stallworth didn’t mean to kill the man, while it’s clear that Vick intentionally killed the dogs, but both acts were criminal. And how the one who killed the man got off with only 24 days in jail while the one who killed the dogs was slapped with a sentence of nearly two-years in prison is beyond me.
What does this say about how our society values human life when our “justice” system doles out these kind of upside-down sentences? As I look forward to another exciting year of football, I’m a bit confused and somewhat disturbed by the lesson on the value of life we’ve learned from the NFL this off season.
These two stories are apples and oranges. This isn’t a matter of 24 days for killng a man and 23 mos for killing a dog. Killing dogs was only a minor part of Vicks crime. Running a dog fighting business for yrs and lying to the FBI about it is a federal crime. That’s why he served time in Leavenworth as oppose to the avg county jail for animal cruelty.
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Stallworth should definately have done more time for what he did. That sentence was light. I just think these are bad examples to use to make commentary on the messages sent by our justice system. Had Vick walked out of his house and killed one dog and Stallworth drivin drunk and killed one man, then I think your point would more closely line up. But these cases are more complex than that.
I agree that these cases are more complex. In an interview with ESPN yesterday, Stallworth let on that there was more to the case than what had been released (i.e. the man he killed may have either jumped out in front of him or was walking in the wrong section of the road). However, I still maintain that killing dogs AND lying to the FBI is still not as heinous of a crime as is drunk driving and manslaughter. Stallworth got off way too easily. I’m still scratching my head about that. And if these cases are apples and oranges, then they at least have in common the fact that they’re both really rotten.
I do agree with your overall bigger point that the way our system punishes people is all over the place with no standard. I see Stallworth can now leave his house to workout with his trainer…so yeah that stinks.
Some of this could have to do with the public’s awareness of it. I love football too and consider myself a news junkie (I constantly check Drudge throughout the day). But whereas I was keenly aware of Vick’s crimes and what happened subsequently, this is the first time I’ve heard of Stallworth’s crime. Public outrage might have been more had more people known about it. Perhaps the NFL commissioner can do what the court could not and ban Stallworth from playing for a season or two.
From the Associated Press 8/13/09
Cleveland Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth was suspended without pay for this season Thursday after pleading guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. He cannot participate in any team activities until his reinstatement after the Super Bowl.
“Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to Stallworth released by the league. “The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations.”