The media's perspective on well-known public figures such as athletes involved in criminal activity has changes substantially over the years. In the past, the media often portrayed professional athletes in a positive light even when they engaged in misguided or criminal conduct. Professional athletes were not held to the same moral or ethical standards by the media as ordinary citizens. However, the days of using rose-colored glasses when portraying the misdeeds of professional athletes are a thing of the past. This shift in the perspective of the media is clear when one compares the DUI manslaughter cases of Leonard Little to the case of Donte Stallworth.
In 1998, Leonard Little was a defensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams when he was charged with DUI manslaughter following his collision with a woman while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. When news of the incident initially broke, most major media outlets failed to cover the incident or any of the facts pertaining to the story. Little's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of the fatal accident. He received a three-month jail sentence, 1,000 hours of community service and four years of probation. Aside from Little's NFL suspension, his case and sentence faced far less scrutiny than criminal cases involving athletes during the last decade.
During the time that Little's transgression occurred, the media was not as critical of professional athletes as it is today. Many articles in the media at the time focused on ones status or title as a professional athlete as opposed to the ethical or moral standards of the athlete's conduct. A fair number of articles that covered the Little incident focused on Little's remorse as opposed to his poor judgement. "It's hard because I've never been in trouble," Little said. "Not a problem kid or anything like that so when you're in the legal system like that, it's always hard on a person the first time to go through some things like that," Little stated in a 2000 Sports Illustrated article.
The media continued to ignore incidents after Little's conviction that would have brought scrutiny and criticism from today's media. Little never formerly apologized to the victim's family following the incident. The media also completely ignored Little's subsequent arrest for DUI five years later.
By contrast, the media heavily criticized Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter and received 30 days in jail for a Miami Beach collision in which a pedestrian was killed. Stallworth was also suspended from the NFL for a year. Stallworth's incident was not only widely covered in the media, but his sentence, which was likely affected by a confidential settlement, was lambasted by the media for being too light. The media did not portray Stallworth in a positive light or focus on his remorse but instead characterized Stallworth as another in a long line of professional athletes who used his celebrity status to secure a lesser charge.
"This shift in the media portrayal of athletes reflects a larger societal change. As the number of deaths caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol has risen, the penalties and consequences facing a driver convicted of drunk driving have increased accordingly," said Miami DUI Attorney John Musca. A driver who is arrested for DUI, especially where someone has been injured or killed, faces very serious penalties. If a driver faces DUI charges in Miami or elsewhere in Florida, where someone has been injured or killed, he or she should consult an experienced Miami DUI lawyer.
