browns wr hits and kills man with car

manufan10 · by **manufan10** on Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:34 pm

MIAMI -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley on Saturday morning on a busy causeway linking Miami and Miami Beach, police said.

Stallworth was headed toward the beach when he hit Mario Reyes, 59, around 7 a.m., said Miami Beach police spokesman Juan Sanchez. The unidentified pedestrian was taken to a nearby trauma center, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Reyes was near a crosswalk but it's not clear if he was crossing legally.

Stallworth, 28, was cooperating and no charges have been filed, Sanchez said. Officers drew blood to test for drugs or alcohol, which is routine. Sanchez said results from the blood test could take anywhere from three days to three weeks.

Police would not say where Stallworth was coming from or where he was headed, and Sanchez didn't have anymore information about Reyes.

Miami-Dade County property records show Stallworth owns two condos in a building on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami not far from the causeway and another condo in a different building in Miami.

A message seeking comment was left on the voicemail of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

The Browns said in a statement they were aware of what happened.

"We understand the seriousness of this situation, but will not have any further comment at this time as this is an ongoing investigation," the team said.

Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns as a free agent before last season but hardly played because he was hurt. He was due a $4.75 million signing bonus Friday.

Stallworth, who previously played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans, finished last season with just 17 catches for 170 yards. He was slowed all season by a nagging hamstring injury and made just seven starts for the Browns.

Stallworth had his best season with the Saints in 2005, when he made a career-high 70 receptions for 945 yards and seven touchdowns. He was drafted in the first round (No. 13 overall) by the Saints in 2002. Stallworth played his college ball at Tennessee.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

manufan10 · by **manufan10** on Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:52 pm

Police: Stallworth says warned man before impact

By CURT ANDERSON, AP Legal Affairs Writer 5 hours, 15 minutes ago

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In this Nov. 6, 2008 file photo, Cleveland Browns Donte Stallworth in action against the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game in Cleveland. Police in Miami Beach say Stallworth has hit and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley, who was crossing the busy causeway that links downtown Miami with Miami Beach the morning of Saturday March 14, 2009.
In this Nov. 6, 2008 file phot…
AP - Mar 14, 2:40 pm EDT

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MIAMI (AP)—Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth said he flashed his car’s headlights to warn a pedestrian before fatally striking the man in Miami Beach last month, according to a report released by police.

The report released Tuesday also said the pedestrian, 59-year-old Mario Reyes, wasn’t in a crosswalk when Stallworth’s Bentley hit him.

According to the report, Stallworth told officers he flashed his lights to try to warn Reyes, a construction crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after getting off work around 7:15 a.m. March 14.

Police said Stallworth was driving about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone. They are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the accident. No charges have been filed against Stallworth pending the outcome of blood tests.

A police diagram shows that Reyes was hit in the far left lane of the six-lane MacArthur Causeway—not in a nearby crosswalk. Stallworth stopped a few feet away.

Police also released calls from three people who dialed 911 that morning.

The first, a woman, said, “There’s a man laying in the middle of the road.” The dispatcher asked for her location and a description of the victim.

Then the woman blurted: “He’s dead. He’s dead … He was just laying in the middle of the road. I think he’s dead.”

When the dispatcher asked what happened, the woman said, “I don’t know, I don’t know, he’s just lying in the middle of the road.”

None of the callers apparently witnessed the accident. One man, saying he was on his way to work, said he “heard a hit” and then saw Reyes lying in the roadway. A few moments later, a police officer arrived.

Stallworth’s attorney declined comment Tuesday but has said his client is cooperating with police. Stallworth last week released a statement saying he was “grief stricken” over the accident.

Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season but was injured most of the year. He was scheduled to receive a $4.75 million signing bonus the day before the accident. Before that, he played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans in the NFL and in college for Tennessee.

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