Report: Donte Stallworth Cleared To Return After Hot Air Balloon Accident
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – NFL wide receiver Donte' Stallworth has been cleared to play again after he suffered second-degree burns in a hot air balloon crash in March, according to profootballtalk.com.
Stallworth and his girlfriend, Soleil Guerrero, were in a hot-air balloon when the passenger basket crashed into power lines. The 32-year-old wide receiver and another passenger were injured and taken to the Trauma Center at Kendall Regional Hospital.
Stallworth and Guerrero were later transferred to JMH to continue treatment. The third passenger was not injured.
At the time, Stallworth told his then Patriots teammate Wes Welker about the accident, "Imagine the hardest hit you've ever taken and multiply that by 1,000," according to profootballtalk.com.
An NTSB report on the hot air balloon crash blamed a downdraft for the accident.
In December, Stallworth was placed on injured reserve by the New England Patriots with an ankle injury after only playing in one game during his brief return and making a 63-yard reception for a touchdown.
Prior to that injury, the Miami Dolphins tried to recruit Stallworth last August, shortly after he was released from the Patriots' roster.
It's not the first offseason problem Stallworth has run into in South Florida. In 2009, Stallworth served 24 days in a Miami jail for DUI manslaughter.
