Donte Stallworth: "Be Cognizant of Your Decisions" A Man Worthy of a Second Chance

Donte Stallworth is a returning NFL player. He was banned from the NFL for a year as a result of a tragic incident in which he killed a man named Mario Reyes as Reyes dashed across the highway right in front of Stallworth.

Everything that happened on that morning of March 14, 2009 has affected Stallworth very deeply. He had been legally drunk with a blood alcohol content level of .12. Subsequently he was arrrested, convicted, sentenced and suspended from football.

From the above information, you might think that this guy doesn't deserve a second chance, however, what he did after this happened. After it was clear that he had accidentally killed a man with his car, he ordered his lawyers to accept a plea deal that convicted him of a felony. He did this despite evidence that showed that he had an excellent chance of being found innocent. He said that Reyes' death was enough of his fault that there shouldn't be a trial and that Reyes' family shouldn't have to sit in a courthouse and relive his death all over again.

This is quite remarkable as most people wanted him to fight the charges and to got to trial. Over and over, members of Stallworth's team of attorneys shouted at him to fight the charges. They said that there was no way to prove who was at fault. Still, Stallworth said no.

“The irony,” said one of Stallworth’s attorneys, David Cornwell, “is that a lot of the media and public was angry with the deal that he took. And the thing they wanted, for him to go to trial, was the thing he was trying to avoid for the family.”

This week, when Stallworth stood just off the practice field at the Baltimore Ravens training camp, he did not want to talk about the accident. He had discussed it so many times before. However, for a moment, he seemed to gaze at the Maryland hills which rolled into the distance.

He said softly, "Any little decision you make will have a subsequent reaction. Be cognizant of your decisions."

He says this to everyone he meets now: teammates, friends, children.

"To anybody who will listen," he said.

Then he added: “With guys being on the stage and the amount of money we get, you tend to trust that certain things will happen to you in life. It’s only human nature to think that way.”

What Stallworth has gone through is pretty trying and it is very admirable how he has kept his integrity throughout it.

Throughout his year away from football he read a lot. Stallworth's particular fascination during his time away became 9-11. He became obsessed with the way the world turned and policy changed that day.

He has read most of the September, 11 theories out there. He has opinions, he has seen freedoms lost in the name of security and it bothers him. He talks about this with friends and teammates and often they just smile and shake their heads.

“A lot of people don’t always like my opinions on these things,” he said.

Then he smiled.

“I’m not going to believe everything I am told,” he said. “I’m going to find it out for myself.”

Despite what he did, he has really tried to make it right and he has not let people influence him in his decisions.

After knowing this, you start feeling that there are people out there who have learned something and you know that their lives will never be the same again.

My conclusion is that this man definitely deserves a second chance.