Where is the line?

originally published 8/17/09...

Michael Vick is back in the NFL... Donte Stallworth gets suspended without pay for a year... One ran a dog fighting ring resulting in the deaths of countless dogs; the other killed a man when he struck him with his car while driving drunk. Vick just signed a 2-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. If I were a betting man, which I am, some NFL team will probably sign Stallworth next year. ...Something HAS to be done. The constant preferential treatment that athletes receive has officially gotten out of control. Roger Goddell had the perfect chance to set a precedent and ban Donte Stallworth for life from the NFL. He had a chance to say that if your off field actions claim the life of another human being, then you are no longer allowed to make your living playing professional football. But he didn't. Instead he gave him a second slap on the wrist (albeit a harder one than the legal system gave him) and said he can't play the game for a year. Big Freakin' Whoop! Why not come down on him? I understand letting Vick back into the league.. the man served 18 months in prison for his actions and crimes. He served more time and lost more money than Stallworth, (he served less than 30 days after a plea deal), and will forever be remembered as a dog killer. Will Donte Stallworth be remembered for killing a man? Wouldn't it have resonated more with the players in the league if he were banned for life? Maybe some of the immaturity and 'bigger than the game' mentality would disappear (see Brandon Marshall, 'Cheddar" Plaxico Burress and Pac-Man Jones). Maybe if they see one of their fellow NFL brothers banned for off-field actions, maybe they will straighten up... then again, maybe I'm dreaming of a utopia that will never exist.