Fatal crash hangs over Rams' Little

By Times wires, staff

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 27, 2000

ATLANTA -- Leonard Little sat at his assigned table in the interview room and looked down at his feet, avoiding eye contact as he was peppered with questions.

"I've been asked the same questions a million times," he said quietly Wednesday. "There's nothing I can say to make everything better. I wish there was."

Little, a backup linebacker for the Rams, pleaded guilty in June to involuntary manslaughter for an October 1998 accident in which he ran a red light, crashed into a car and killed Sue Gutweiler, 47, of south St. Louis. Little's blood-alcohol level was 0.19, nearly double the legal limit in Missouri. He had been drinking with teammates that night, his 24th birthday.

Little was sentenced to 90 days in jail, to be served over a year, four years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. He said he has completed "most" of the jail time.

The NFL suspended him for eight games, and he returned to the Rams in November.

Little said he is not looking for sympathy but doesn't know what to say anymore. He said he wishes people would accept his feelings of remorse and allow him to live his life.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he said. "No one is a perfect person."

Bill Gutweiler, Sue's husband, says he has not received condolences from Little. "Even if I couldn't face Little, it would be nice if he at least tried," Gutweiler said.

Said Little: "Now is just not the right time, but we're working on that. We're going to get together, I'm sure of it."

WEATHER UPDATE: Both teams had to practice outside -- the Titans at Georgia Tech, the Rams at the Atlanta Falcons' complex in suburban Suwanee -- and the temperature climbed to 33 degrees with gusty wind.

The only indoor facility in the area is the Georgia Dome, site of the game. But the arena was set aside Wednesday and today for rehearsing the pregame and halftime shows.

The temperature was expected to climb above freezing today. The forecast called for possible snow.

MORE RAMS: The assistant coaches arrived after spending two days in St. Louis putting together the game plan. ... Kicker Jeff Wilkins said he will have surgery for the tendinitis on his left knee but he plans to kick Sunday.

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