"Desperate for a playmaking wide receiver, the Ravens granted disgraced former first-round draft choice Donte' Stallworth a second chance Wednesday.

The ball is now officially in his court. Will Stallworth, 29, finally fulfill the promise he held as the 13th pick in the 2002 NFL draft? Or will his last chance continue the decline of an injury-strapped seven-year career?

What's obvious is that Stallworth won't outrun his legal past anytime soon and the Ravens aren't finished trolling for receivers who can put the zip back into quarterback Joe Flacco's passing game.

The NFL suspended Stallworth for the 2009 season after he pleaded guilty last June to manslaughter while driving drunk in Miami Beach, a second-degree felony in Florida. He struck and killed a 59-year-old construction worker March 14, one day after he cashed a $4.5 million bonus from the Cleveland Browns.

Two days after his guilty plea, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth indefinitely without pay with this admonition: "Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man. The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations."

And Stallworth will live with his restrictions. Terms of his plea agreement called for one month in jail (he served 24 days) and two years' house arrest, followed by eight years' probation. He also lost his driving privileges for life and was required to perform 1,000 hours of community service."