FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth will be reinstated from his suspension for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.
At his annual Super Bowl-week news conference, Goodell said Stallworth's suspension will be lifted after the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Goodell said he met with Stallworth about a month ago, and the receiver is "in a better place than he was." Goodell said Stallworth recognized what he did wrong and has prepared himself to return to the NFL.
Stallworth, 28, was charged with DUI manslaughter March 14 in an early morning accident that killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes, a Miami construction worker who was on his way home.
Stallworth's blood-alcohol level after the crash was .126, well above Florida's legal limit of .08, according to results of a blood test.
In mid-June, Stallworth was given a 30-day jail sentence, of which he served 24 days, and reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Reyes' family. Two days after sentencing, the NFL suspended Stallworth indefinitely without pay.
The Browns likely will wait until after Stallworth's official reinstatement before announcing their intentions for Stallworth's future. The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported, however, that the team plans to release Stallworth, citing an unnamed source.
Stallworth made just seven starts for the Browns in 2008 because of injuries, with 17 catches for 170 yards.
"We really haven't [made a decision]," Browns general manager Tom Heckert said. "It's something Randy [Browns owner Randy Lerner] is probably going to be involved in as well. We'll have to discuss it as an organization."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.