Giants Release Troubled WR Plaxico Burress
Updated 5:14 PM EDT, Mon, Jul 6, 2009
It didn't take long for New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress to go from a Super Bowl hero to a New York zero.
The Giants released the talented but troubled Burress today a little more than four months after he accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York City nightclub.
Burress' four-year tenure with the Giants was highlighted by a game-winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl 14 months ago but it was also dogged by fines and suspensions.
Burress' status has been uncertain since he shot himself on Nov. 29. He faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least three and a half years if convicted.
On several occassions, General Manager Jerry Reese said that Burress would be welcomed back to the team if he cleared up his legal situation. On Friday, though, his statement offered no insight into why minds changed within the Giants hierarchy.
“I am an optimist, and I believe most situations can be worked out,” said Reese. “We hung in there as long as we could in hopes that there could be a resolution to this situation other than the decision we made today to release Plaxico. It wasn’t to be, so now we have to move on. Like everybody else here, we want nothing but the best for Plaxico, and we are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise.”
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who made a similar statement, didn't have anything more definitive to say.
“Plaxico’s contribution to our championship season in 2007 can never be underestimated or undervalued,” said Coughlin. “He displayed tremendous determination throughout that season. Having said that, I have always been as concerned about Plaxico as a man as I have been about him as a player, and my hope is that everything that has happened over the past several months represents a turning point. He is a young man with a family who has a whole lifetime ahead of him, and I personally wish him and his family well.”
Burress was reportedly working toward a plea agreement with the prosecutors on his felony weapons charges this week in advance of an April 1st court date. Nothing came of their conversations, however, and the court date was pushed back until June after a brief courtroom visit. 90 percent of people charged with Burress' crime are convicted of lesser charges, but most still serve some jail time. The later court date and rapidly approaching start to serious offseason training may have contributed to the Giants' decision to act now.
Copyright Associated Press
First Published: Apr 3, 2009 2:25 PM EDT on NBC New York
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