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 a 49-year-old man 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. He 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, but police said it was too early to tell if Stallworth was impaired or violating traffic laws. Police would not say where he was coming from or where he was headed.
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.
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Miami-Dade prosecutors on Wednesday charged Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth with DUI manslaughter, alleging the football player was driving drunk on the morning of March 14 when he struck and killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach.
Blood tests revealed Stallworth had a blood alcohol level of .126 after the 7 a.m. crash, according to documents filed in the clerk's office Wednesday.
Stallworth, 28, who has cooperated with authorities since the crash, is expected to surrender to authorities on Thursday morning.
Stallworth's attorney, Christopher Lyons, declined comment.
DUI manslaughter is a felony that carries a minimum of four years to a maximum 15 years in prison.
Stallworth's bond will be set at $200,000 and will allow him to live in both Florida and Ohio, where he lists a Cleveland address, according to court documents.
Stallworth's whereabouts before the crash -- including a visit to a swanky South Beach club -- and his conversation with cops at the scene were detailed in an arrest warrant filed by Miami Beach police Detective Kevin Millan.
Here is Millan's account of what happened on the morning of March 14:
Stallworth had been drinking at Club Liv at the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach before leaving to go to a home in Miami, where he arrived around 6:15 a.m.
It's unclear if the home is Stallworth's residence. Stallworth owns two condos in downtown Miami and one in Midtown Miami, property records show.
An hour later, he drove his black Bentley east on the MacArthur Causeway, where he struck Mario Reyes, 59.
When police officers arrived, Stallworth was standing outside his car, which has Tennessee license plates. He told them he had been driving the car and that ```I hit the man lying in the road.'''
The officer smelled alcohol on his breath and described Stallworth's eyes as ``bloodshot and watery.''
A blood sample was taken from Stallworth and forwarded to a lab at the University of Miami, where results showed his blood alcohol level was .126.
Stallworth later told police at the Miami Beach police station that ''he had time to honk his horn and flash his headlights'' to warn Reyes, who was not in a crosswalk.
Reyes was taken from the crash scene to the nearby Ryder Trauma Center with injuries to his head, chest and stomach. He died shortly after arriving to the hospital.
He is survived by his wife of almost 20 years, Catalina, and the couple's 15-year-old daughter, Daniela.
A few days after the crash, Stallworth, through the Cleveland Browns organization, issued a statement expressing his condolences to the Reyes family.
''My family and I are grief stricken over the tragic accident which occurred Saturday on Miami Beach where Mario Reyes sadly lost his life,'' Stallworth said in the statement. ``My thoughts and prayers are with the Reyes family during this incredibly difficult time. Conditions of Stallworth's bond, detailed in court documents, will allow him to live in Florida and Ohio.
Before traveling between the two he must tell the court; for other travel he has to get permission.
He cannot have alcohol or do drugs, and he will be subject to random testing through the National Football League's program for substance abuse.
He also will have a curfew between midnight and 6 a.m. and will not be able to drive.
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