NFL Player Detained In Pedestrian's Death

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley 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 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.

The victim has been identified as 59-year-old Mario Reyes. It's believed he worked in the area and may have been heading toward a bus stop when struck, reports Stacy Richman of CBS Station WFOR in Miami.

According to the police, Stallworth was driving a black Bentley which took heavy front-end damage from the accident which occurred near the intersection of Fisher Island Drive and the MacArthur Causeway, Richman reports.

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 he 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.

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.

He previously played for the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints in the NFL and the University of Tennessee in college.
Stallworth's best overall season was in 2005, when he caught 70 passes for 945 yards and seven touchdowns as a member of the New Orleans Saints.