CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Even diehard Browns fans were stunned that wide receiver Donte Stallworth might be able to suit up again after just a month in jail for killing a man with his car while drunk behind the wheel.

"Thirty days ...? Wow," said Richard Manco II, president of the Browns Backers of Brunswick, who was beside himself when told of Tuesday's sentencing in Miami. "What if that was you or me? We wouldn't have 30 days. That's all he got was 30 days? Unbelievable."

Stallworth, 28, who spent most of his first year with the Browns last season sidelined with injuries, began serving his jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter.

Stallworth also reached a confidential financial settlement with the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, who he struck and killed with his black 2005 Bentley early March 14. The deal prevents the family from filing a civil suit.

In addition to jail time, Stallworth was sentenced to two years of house arrest, eight years on probation, 1,000 hours of community service and a lifetime driver's license suspension that could be eased after five years. He must also undergo drug and alcohol testing.

Stallworth, who, according to the Associated Press, was accompanied in court by his parents, siblings and others, expressed remorse.

"I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy," he told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy. "I will bear this burden for the rest of my life."

Stallworth, whose blood-alcohol level after the crash was .126 -- well above Florida's legal limit of .08 -- could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

Some Browns fans and others who have followed the case for the last three months believe Stallworth scored special treatment.

"If it's the average working man or woman there would be no leniency, there would be no deals cut," said John Becker, of Seven Hills, a retired Shaker Heights police officer and casual Browns fan. "Justice wasn't served. The well-connected and the money were served. I'm so tired of seeing celebrities beat the law."

But to Jerry Bryan, president of the Palm Beach (Fla.) Browns Backers club, the penalty seemed to reflect that Reyes, who was jaywalking when Stallworth struck and killed him, was at least partly to blame for the accident.

"Thirty days is not very long, but 10 years [of house arrest and probation] is real long," Bryan said. "What first looks like a slap on the wrist really isn't. One slip-up and he's back in jail."

Bryan didn't think the court cut Stallworth a break because he was a famous football player. But Bryan said one of his Florida friends was sentenced to five years in jail and 20 years of probation and had his license revoked for life for a drunk-driving accident that killed a passenger.

Had the accident occurred in Ohio, Stallworth might not have gotten off with such a light jail sentence.

"Generally, we're talking years when alcohol's involved. We're not talking 30 days," said Jerry Gold, a veteran Cleveland criminal defense lawyer. "I would have considered anything under two years a really good result."

Ohio's vehicular homicide laws have been changed nine times since 1974 to make them tougher. However, other legal officials in Northeast Ohio said that while many people might think Stallworth's sentence was light, that's not necessarily so.

"I imagine most of the public is going to think that's a slap on the wrist," said Cuyahoga County Judge David Matia.

But Matia and others say that the same thing could have happened here because a wide range of factors comes into play in cases of drinking and driving deaths.

To start with, Stallworth's case could have drawn a range of charges here from felony aggravated vehicular homicide -- which carries a sentence of between two and eight years -- to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter, which calls for a sentence of up to 90 days.

Matia said that if Stallworth had pleaded guilty in Ohio to the felony charge, the law would require a two-year sentence. But a deal could be worked out where a defendant would plead guilty to a lesser charge.

There would also be murky issues for the jury to weigh, such as if the DUI offense caused the accident.

After a night drinking at a bar in Miami Beach's Fountainebleau hotel, police said Stallworth hit Reyes, a construction crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m. Stallworth told police he flashed his lights to warn Reyes. Police estimated Stallworth was driving about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone.

A lawyer for the Miami-Dade State Attorney told the Associated Press that Stallworth's lack of previous criminal record, cooperation and willingness to accept responsibility were factors in the plea deal, and that the Reyes family -- especially the victim's 15-year-old daughter -- wanted the case resolved to avoid further pain.

With the deal struck and sentence handed down, Stallworth, who signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season, could be back in Berea, practicing this summer. That all depends on how he's received by the team and the NFL, which could hand down its own discipline, likely in the form of a multi-game suspension.

As for how he might be received by fans, Bryan, for one, wasn't thrilled with the possibility that the often-injured Stallworth could suit up for the Browns this season -- but not because of the conviction.

"I guess he could play this year -- not that he did much of that last year," he said. "He didn't bring anything to the party last year."

Wire service stories contributed to this report