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Being a professional athlete in America can be a lucrative job.
According to NFL.com, some players such as Albert Haynesworth, of the Washington Redskins, gross over 14.3 million dollars a year.
This a lot of money to just play a sport, and he's not even considered a top player in the league. Although, many athletes are positive role models in their communities, there are mishaps that are overlooked because of an athlete's status.
For example, in 2008, a football player named Donte Stallworth was driving his $200,000 Bentley when he hit and killed a man, named Mario Reyes.
When officers arrived on the scene and gave Donte a sobriety test, he had a blood alcohol level of .126 and the legal limit in Miami is .08.
This incident didn't get as much media attention as I thought it should have, but I already knew why.
They suspended Donte's license for life, he paid off a couple of fines, he must complete a mandatory of 1,000 community service hours and last but not least, the final punishment for his crime, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
That's it, that's all for killing an innocent man. Mario was coming home from work, waiting at the bus stop, when Mr. Stallworth's car drove up and hit him, but yet he received no justice.
In my opinion, everything from his sentence to his verdict happened to Donte solely because he plays football.
To put the icing on the cake, he was allowed to continue practicing as long as he attempts his community service hours, and last year he was considered one of the top Wide Receivers in the National Football League.
When Michael Vick pled guilty to dog fighting charges, the NFL suspended him without pay and he served two years in prison.
I understand that no human being on earth is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but come on. I guarantee that if you or I were in this same situation, we would have been doing at least forty years or more, probably life.
The only thing positive I can say is that Donte was very cooperative with the police and felt remorseful for the incident.
Donte acting polite and being cooperative with the police is not going to bring Mario Reyes back.
In conclusion, athletes get away with a lot simply because of their caliber and the money they make.
It is sad to say Donte Stallworth's situation is a great example of how athletes get away with murder, literally.
And it's not just athletes; there are a lot of famous people who run into problems with the law, just look at Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.
"I thought it was gum." Yea, OK.
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