Police release Stallworth interview

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donté Stallworth told police he drank up to four shots of premium tequila while partying with friends at a Miami Beach club, but did not feel drunk in the hours before he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car.

In a recorded interview with police, Stallworth said he met fellow Browns receiver Braylon Edwards and others at a hotel sometime after 2 a.m. on March 14. Stallworth said he drank some tequila from Edwards' table and later bought some shots himself.

"Three, four at the most," Stallworth said. "I wasn't really counting."

Lab tests later showed Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of .126; Florida's limit is .08.

Stallworth, 28, is serving a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter in the death of 59-year-old Mario Reyes. Stallworth also reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Reyes' family, which factored into his relatively light sentence.

The Stallworth interview with Miami Beach police and other evidence was released yesterday by prosecutors under a public-records request by the Associated Press.

Stallworth said he left the club sometime after 4 a.m., went to his Miami condominium for a nap and then decided to go out for breakfast in his 2005 Bentley. That's when he encountered Reyes, who was leaving his job as a crane operator, crossing a busy road around 7:15 a.m.

Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He signed a signed a 7-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season but was injured much of the year. The Tennessee college star also played in the NFL for New England, the Eagles and New Orleans. *