As a newly convicted felon, NFL player Donte' Stallworth will spend a month in jail, two years under house arrest and eight years on probation -- but his football career likely will survive.
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver, in pleading guilty Tuesday to DUI manslaughter, also will spend years publicly recounting his ultimate mistake, made the March morning he hit and killed crane operator Mario Reyes on the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach.
As part of his plea deal, Stallworth must perform 1,000 hours of community service, which likely will involve public service announcements and speeches to youth warning of the perils of drunken driving.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle bristled at the notion that Stallworth, 28, got off easy, pointing to his consistent remorse and the Reyes family's desire to avoid protracted legal proceedings.
''People who say that ought to talk to the 15-year-old daughter,'' she said of Reyes' daughter, Daniela.
``It's not about the people outside of the circle. It's about the family and Stallworth and his sense of responsibility and accountability. He's being punished appropriately. This is what the family wanted.''
Even Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the vocal group whose members routinely attend court hearings for DUI defendants, said the deal was the best outcome because of the Reyes family's wishes.
''I think there are a lot of kids as well as adults who will listen to his message,'' Miami-Dade MADD Director Janet Mondshein said of Stallworth. ``I think he'll do more good being out of jail and being active in prevention than he would be in jail.''
Prosecutors said they had considerable evidence against Stallworth, who had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted: Lab tests showed his blood alcohol level at .126, well above the legal limit. The crash was caught on surveillance video. And he admitted to Miami Beach police that he was behind the wheel, having been at a nightclub earlier that morning.
The biggest hurdle at trial might have been that Reyes, 59, was not in a crosswalk when he crossed the causeway to catch a bus home, though Stallworth admitted he had enough time to honk his horn and flash his lights at him.