NFL Suspends Stallworth Indefinitely After DUI Manslaughter

Stallworth Will Meet With Goodell Before Length Of Suspension Is Set

PERSONAL FOUL: In Cleveland, Terry Pluto writes Goodell "should suspend the Browns receiver for a year." Stallworth already was enrolled in the NFL's substance-abuse program, and while that "should not have had any impact on how the legal system dealt with his case," the NFL is a "different story." Playing in the NFL is "not a legal right, it's a privilege" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/19). ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli wrote Goodell "demonstrated once again that, for him, there are very few shades of gray." Goodell's actions "might not follow the letter of every civil law," but, he "follows his conscience." Pasquarelli: "Morally, it is the right thing to do. And more often than not, in meting out punishment, Goodell does the right thing" (ESPN.com, 6/18). But YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel writes Goodell's "evolving disciplinary system should be focused on prevention, not politics or publicity." At least 73 players "who appeared on NFL rosters last season have, at one time or another, been arrested for driving under the influence." Goodell will "show his priorities this summer when he decides how indefinite the indefinite suspensions" are for Stallworth and QB Michael Vick (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/19).

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