Vick vs Dante

In the current firestorm about Dante Stallworth's ridiculous 30 day sentence for DUI manslaughter many people have pointed out that Micheal Vick served almost 2 years for his role in a dogfighting ring and Dante Stallworth only got 30 days for killing a man. While I am disgusted that Stallworth will only be in jail for 24 days one important thing needs to be pointed out. You cannot compare the two crimes and the two prison sentences.

1. Vick's case was a federal case- Vick's dogfighting ring operated in multiple states which meant that the case was a federal case that would be tried in a federal courtroom with federal attorneys. Federal cases are very rarely settled by plea bargains so it most likely all or nothing. Not to mention the fact that it was a federal case meant that the FBI was using its full capability and resources to investigate the case. The evidence was damning against Vick and once his partners rolled on him there was no chance of avoiding a serious sentence for his crimes. Stallworth on the other hand was a local crime so it was investigate by local police and persecuted by local attorneys. This is not a condemnation of local police and attorneys but they are often swamped with multiple cases and have limited resources.

2. Media outcry- Right or wrong DUI manslaughter cases are not that uncommon even within athletes. Lenard Little was convicted of it in the past decade. Nick Adenheart was killed in an accident with a drunk driver this year, and Danny Heatley killed a teammate while driving drunk 5 years ago. Unfortunately these cases happen enough that they are not breaking news and there is little media outcry. However Vick's case was unique because how often do you about dogfighting rings, let alone dogfighting rings run by a franchise QB, who just signed a $120 million contract and had the highest selling jersey in the NFL. The media took this story and ran with it and by the time the case was going to court Vick was the most vilified man in America. Also the public outcry was for Vick to be punished to the highest extent of the law. Groups like PETA and other animal rights groups protested everywhere Vick went. Look back at the Stallworth story; I remember hearing about the accident, hearing that he was over the legal limit, and hearing about the prison sentence. There were not protests or media outcry until he was sentenced. Right or wrong our society reacts differently to crimes and in the case of DUI manslaughter it unfortunately happens so often that we quickly brush over the story and move on to the next story.

3. Stallworth did everything the right way- This sounds stupid but Stallworth's acted in the correct way from the minute the accident occurred. He stayed at the scene of the crime, admitted fault as soon as the police got there, and volunteered to have his blood tested for alcohol. He immediately said he was in the wrong and that he was sorry and settled for a cash settlement with the family. While this in no way absolves him of his crime, it at least made the judge view him favorably. Vick denied the claims and tried to fight it by all means necessary despite the damning evidence against him. Everyone knew Vick was guilty in some regard and his continual denials made him seem as if he thought he was untouchable and would walk away from the charges.

4. The evidence in the case- The man Stallworth hit was running at full speed across the street, and was not at a crosswalk. This made the case much more difficult for the attorneys because they knew that Stallworth's attorneys would try to claim that the pedestrian put himself in harms way and even sober Stallworth would not be able to avoid hitting him. While this seems implausible, attorneys never know how a jury will react. The district attorneys were faced with a distinct possibility that Stallworth could be found innocent. The attorneys figured better to get something over nothing so the plea bargain was offered. In Vick's case the evidence was overwhelmingly against him, and it would have taken a miracle that no lawyer would have felt confident about. The federal prosecutors knew they had Vick between a rock and a hard place and could push as hard as they want.

5. Motive- This is black and white issue to me. Vick and his colleagues planned this dogfighting ring from start to finish. They knowingly set up arenas for dogfighting coordinated with other dog owners to set up the fights, and were willing to execute dogs in the most inhumane way possible. While Stallworth's crime was awful it was an accident. Yes he caused it by drinking and driving but he was not out to commit murder. Hence the reason he is charged with manslaughter and not homicide. While it does not excuse Stallworth for the crime, it shows there was no motive and in the criminal world motive is what drives sentences to the more severe level.

At the end of the day, I am disgusted that Stallworth got off so easily. I think he deserves to be behind bars for at least 3-5 years for his crime. If he gets to play football this upcoming year I think his whole salary should be donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving or some charity similar to that. I know he will be forced to live with the knowledge that he took a man's life something that I cannot even comprehend, but I still do not believe that is punishment enough.

People have a million reasons to be outraged about the embarrassment that was the legal system on Tuesday but the one reason you cannot be outraged is that Stallworth got less time than Vick. They are both criminals but their crimes were different crimes and committed under different circumstances and therefore the punishments were different. I am furious that Stallworth got off so easily just not because Vick had a longer sentence.