THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail earlier this week following his guilty plea to DUI manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian. It was a controversial ruling that drew much criticism as many felt it too lenient. However, on Thursday NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stepped up and suspended Stallworth from the league indefinitely, without pay. Does it surprise you that Goodell’s punishment seems more severe than that of the legal system?

BRYAN BURWELL
No it doesn’t. In much the same way that the legal system issued a punishment that legally was in accordance with previous sentences to cooperative first-time offenders who admitted guilt and made amends to the aggrieved family, Goodell issued a suspension that was consistent with players who broke the law and were convicted.

JEFF GORDON
Roger Goodell is the law-and-order commissioner so, no, this wasn’t a surprise at all. He is trying to clean up the league’s image. A LOT of players have had legal problems on his watch and he has punished them aggressively. This was a high-profile case, so Stallworth has a tough road ahead with Goodell. I believe the commissioner is grandstanding, to an extent, by coming down so hard on players. But there is nothing wrong with holding highly paid pro athletes accountable for their misdeeds.

KATHLEEN NELSON
Can’t say I’m surprised. If Goodell initially gave Pacman Jones a one-year suspension and Chris Henry an eight-game suspension, an indefinite leave in a manslaughter case would seem in line. I don’t think you can extrapolate to say that Goodell was compensating for the court’s decision, but I do think you can see that he’s trying to remain consistent in his strict personal conduct policy.

REID LAYMANCE
This commissioner has been consistent in sending a strong message on player conduct off the field. It will be interesting if a player wants to step up and challenge the league in court.

ROGER HENSLEY
I wasn’t surprised by Goodell’s swift and stern punishment, but I thought it appropriate. Thirty days in jail seems a small price to pay in an ordeal that cost a man his life. Yes, Stallworth cooperated with the police from the beginning, yes he has already agreed to some sort of compensation package with the aggrieved family, and yes, he’ll do 1,000 hours of community service … is that enough? Goodell’s suspension likely will leave the Browns with little recourse but to cut Stallworth from the team, and not being able to play Sundays (and collect a paycheck) likely will be the the greatest punishment for Stallworth.

MORE ON STALLWORTH

One columnist from the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that lost in the news of Stallworth’s most recent transgression is the fact that he was already in the league’s substance abuse program. Terry Pluto says it’s good to ban Stallworth from the league for a year, but he’d like to see him out of Cleveland for good. Check out his thoughts here.