CLEVELAND -- Donte' Stallworth will have the chance to resurrect his NFL career, but it won't happen with the Browns.
The Browns released the troubled wide receiver Monday, wasting little time after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday that Stallworth would be reinstated following Sunday's Super Bowl.
Stallworth was suspended for the 2009 season by Goodell after the receiver pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk in Florida. Stallworth spent 24 days in jail.
"I think he's in a better place than he was," Goodell said Friday, adding that he met with Stallworth about a month ago. "I think he recognizes what he did and the horrific nature and the unfortunate outcome, and I think he's prepared himself to get back in and play."
Stallworth, 29, spent one season with the Browns, catching 17 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown in 2008 while battling injuries. A college star at Tennessee, he also has played with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints in his NFL career. The Saints drafted Stallworth in the first round in 2002.
Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns in 2008 and received a $4.5 million bonus the night before the crash.
Stallworth struck 59-year-old crane operator Mario Reyes the morning of March 14 in Miami. Stallworth pleaded guilty June 16 to DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and was suspended from the NFL by Goodell two days later.
"I will carry the burden of Mr. Reyes' death for the rest of my life," Stallworth said in a statement released at the time. "I urge NFL fans not to judge NFL players or me based on my tragic lapse in judgment. I am a good person who did a bad thing. I will use the period of my suspension to reflect, fulfill my obligations, and use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of those who look up to NFL players."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
