Blood money from a drunken driver
It’s hard to decide what’s more infuriating: Donte Stallworth getting away with murder, or Mario Reyes’ family putting a price on a human life—and justice, said Bob Weir in RealClearPolitics.c
Bob Weir
RealClearPolitics.com
If you drive drunk, and run down and kill a pedestrian, you’re going to jail, said Bob Weir. But not if you’re a wealthy sports star like Donte Stallworth of the Cleveland Browns; then, you can simply buy your way to freedom.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In March, the wide receiver got behind the wheel of his Bentley in Miami “with a snootful of booze in his bloodstream” and mowed down 59-year-old construction worker Mario Reyes. If Stallworth had been some nameless slob in a beat-up Plymouth, his victim’s family would be calling for his head and he’d likely get 15 years in prison. But Stallworth, who last year “signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with a $4.75 million signing bonus,” received a sentence of just 30 days in jail as part of a plea bargain that included a confidential financial settlement with Reyes’ survivors. Stallworth’s attorney is already crowing that his client is free to resume his football career; within five years, he could even be approved for limited driving.
It’s hard to decide what’s more infuriating: Stallworth getting away with murder, or Reyes’ family putting a price on a human life—and justice.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK