Stallworth at Redskins training camp in 2011. |
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| No. 19 Washington Redskins | |
| Wide receiver | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: November 10, 1980 | |
| Place of birth: Sacramento, California | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Tennessee | |
| NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | |
| Debuted in 2002 for the New Orleans Saints | |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011 | |
| Receptions | 319 |
| Receiving Yards | 4,766 |
| Touchdowns | 34 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Donté Lamar Stallworth (born November 10, 1980) is an American football wide receiver is currently playing for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (13th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.
Stallworth has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens. He was suspended by the NFL for the 2009 season after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter charges in Florida.
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Stallworth was born in Sacramento, California. He attended Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California where he was a star in football and track and field. He was a high school teammate of former Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith, Seattle Seahawks safety C. J. Wallace and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Paris Warren.
Stallworth played college football at the University of Tennessee for the Volunteers, where his nickname was "Hands," as his teammates watched his ability to come up with seemingly impossible catches on a regular basis. Upon leaving for the NFL, his 1,747 reception yards ranked ninth in the school's all-time list. His 40-yard dash was a 4.29 and he majored in psychology.
Stallworth was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (13th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8. He caught eight touchdown passes in 2002, his rookie year, but saw less action the next season. As a full time starter in 2004, he had 767 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In 2005, he recorded a career-high 70 receptions for 945 yards with seven touchdowns.
On August 28, 2006, Stallworth was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Mark Simoneau and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. In Stallworth's first game with the Eagles, less than two weeks after the trade, he caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Due to a nagging hamstring injury, he missed three games early in the regular season, but finished the year with 725 yards and five touchdowns. Hamstring injuries have been a persistent problem throughout his professional career.
In March 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Stallworth was in the league substance abuse program.[1]
On March 11, 2007, Stallworth agreed to terms with the New England Patriots on a reported six-year deal worth $30 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. The contract was incentive laden, meaning that the Patriots could release him if he underperformed for a small fraction of the full contract.[2] On February 22, 2008, the Patriots declined the option on his contract and he became a free agent.
On March 1, 2008, Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.[3] However, he had just 17 catches for 170 yards and one touchdown for the Browns in 2008 and then missed the entire 2009 season after being suspended by the NFL following his conviction on manslaughter charges. On February 8, 2010, after being reinstated by the NFL, the Browns terminated Stallworth's contract.[4]
On February 16, 2010, Stallworth signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Baltimore Ravens.[5]
On August 28, 2010, Stallworth broke his foot in a preseason game against the New York Giants. Head Coach John Harbaugh stated that this injury was not season-ending and Stallworth would be back after the Ravens' bye week. Stallworth made his return to the active Ravens roster in October, but his highlight of the season came during a game against the Carolina Panthers where he made his first catch as a wide receiver for the franchise during a regular season game.[6]
On December 23, 2010, Stallworth was voted by his teammates and awarded the Ed Block Courage Award for 2010. But his stats were grim. He had just two REC, 82 yards (67 yarder against the Pittsburgh Steelers), and seven rushes for 45 yards. [7]
Stallworth signed a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins on July 29, 2011
On November 8, 2011, Stallworth was released by the Washington Redskins and put on waivers.[8]
On November 15, 2011 Stallworth re-signed with the Redskins after Wide Receiver Leonard Hankerson and Defensive End Kedric Golston were put on Injured Reserve.[9]
On the morning of March 14, 2009, a 2005 Bentley coupé driven by Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian at the eastern end of the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach, Florida. Stallworth was headed toward the beach when he hit Mario Reyes, 59. Police initially investigated the accident further to see if charges against Stallworth would be warranted.
Stallworth admitted to drinking the night prior to the accident. He had taken a taxi home from the bar and had gone to sleep. The next morning, he woke up and drove to get some food and had no idea he was still drunk. According to early reports Stallworth was legally drunk at the time of the accident;[10] news sources reported that his blood alcohol content was 0.12, over the nationwide legal limit of 0.08.[11][12] Stallworth claims that he flashed his car's headlights to warn Reyes before striking him.[13] A Miami Beach police report said Reyes was not in a crosswalk on the busy causeway when he was struck by the black 2005 Bentley Continental GT driven by Stallworth. Police estimated Stallworth was driving about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone.[14] The construction crane operator was trying to catch a bus home after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m.[15]
Stallworth was charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter on April 1, 2009; he surrendered to police on April 2, 2009, and was released on $200,000 bail.[16] He pled guilty, and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, plus 1,000 hours of community service, 2 years of house arrest, and 8 years probation.[17] He has also received a life-time suspension of his Florida state driver's license.[18]
On July 10, 2009, Stallworth was released from jail after serving 24 days of a 30-day sentence.
The Associated Press reported on June 16, 2009, that Stallworth and the Reyes family reached a financial agreement, avoiding a civil lawsuit. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.[19]
On August 13, 2009, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated that Stallworth would be suspended for the entire 2009 season without pay. Stallworth was reinstated after Super Bowl XLIV.[20]
A Yahoo! Sports story published August 12, 2010, reported that Stallworth's lawyers indicated he could have fought all charges with "an excellent chance of being found innocent," but that Stallworth chose to be convicted of a felony to do what he felt was morally right. The article later notes that David Cornwell, one of Stallworth's attorneys, felt there was irony in the reaction to Stallworth's decision because the public and media criticized the plea deal without knowing the full story.[21]
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