Browns receiver Donte Stallworth is going to jail for 30 days after pleading out to DUI manslaughter for killing a pedestrian. His exile from the NFL is likely to last longer.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth indefinitely Thursday. Whether you agree with Stallworth’s off-the-field punishment, Goodell had to act. The NFL is serious about protecting its image, and not suspending Stallworth would have undermined that effort.

When should Stallworth come back? Hopefully, Goodell sits him for the season. Yes, that might be harsher punishment than the courts gave him, but should he be allowed to earn good money while on house arrest? Not in 2009. If Goodell was really serious, it wouldn’t be for 2010, either.