The Plaxico Burress Saga: Earning A Fresh Start

Plaxico Burress won it all in 2008. One year later, he was serving time.

As newly-acquired wide receiver Plaxico Burress prepares to make his New York Jets debut September 11 against the Dallas Cowboys, the career-halting incident from nearly three years ago seems to be in the moral rear view mirror (but don't get me wrong, he will still hear it from opposing fans). In the wake of Michael Vick's recent redemption, the question has to be asked: has Plaxico done enough to get the boot off our shitlist?


The NFL is no stranger to its players finding themselves on the wrong end of the law, but the former New York Giants star's situation was unique. In late November 2008, Burress was with former teammate Antonio Pierce in the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan when a gun tucked into his waistband slipped and discharged into his leg, narrowly missing a security officer standing inches away. Burress was taken to the hospital and discharged the next day.

New York City police found out about the incident from a television report. The Glock pistol Burress was carrying had an expired concealed weapons license from Florida and no license for New York. A search of his New Jersey home in December turned up a 9 mm pistol, a rifle, ammunition, and clothing believed to have been worn on the night of the incident.

He generated some sympathy through a public confession, broadcasted live on ESPN, but his fate was all but sealed when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for full prosecution of Burress in a press conference, determined to set a strong example to back up NYC's strict gun possession laws.

Burress pleaded guilty to attempted weapons possession in the second degree and was sentenced to 20 months in jail and two years probation.

On June 6, 2011, Plaxico was released from jail.

He found his time in the slammer to be less than comforting. His first (and only) night in Riker's Island was plagued by relentless jeers from the other prisoners (Giants suck! Asshole!). Although he was moved to a location with fewer taunts, he admits, in a recent interview for "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel", that he "lost count" of how many times he cried in prison. The irony of the situation gnawed away at his psyche. He went from Super Bowl hero to absolute zero in the pull of a trigger and a flash of pain. His decorated career, spanning eight seasons with the Steelers and Giants, was derailed when he shot himself, and there he was, rotting in prison instead of attending the birth of his daughter.

But Plaxico deserved to be there. Gun violence is not something to be taken lightly, especially in this country, with roughly 30,000 firearm-related deaths a year. For Plax to show that he had reformed, he needed to demonstrate an understanding of why packing a concealed weapon in a nightclub, permit or not, could only lead trouble.

Michael Vick certainly blazed a trail for Burress. The public had nothing but vitriol for the current Philadelphia Eagles star from moment details of his vicious dog fighting ring leaked. Vick imploded in every which way, hitting the bottom hard during his prison sentence. Yet, under the tutelage of NFL good guy Tony Dungy and through countless talks for animal rights groups, Vick was able to navigate from bankruptcy and intense public hatred back to a starting quarterback gig and super stardom. And with his new found redemption, Vick turned his attention to a man in a similar, albeit less disgraced position.

"Hopefully [Plaxico will] use my situation as an example and go out and try and emulate what I've done in his own way. That's what it's about. It's about growth, and it's about learning. Things in life happen in stages, and those are some things you have to go through as an individual."

So, it was no coincidence that Vick was one of the first guys to meet with Plaxico as a free man. It was no coincidence that only a week after being discharged, Plax spoke out against irresponsible gun use with Tony Dungy standing by his side. It came as no surprise that he sought out a mentorship with Dungy and Magic Johnson and partnered with the National Urban League and the Brady Center to combat gun violence.

"I can’t go back in time; I can’t get those two years back. The only thing I can do now is learn from what happened to me, to grow from it and take it one day at a time. That’s really the best way to handle this situation."

"I no longer own a firearm in my home, and I don’t carry one. With that, not owning one and not carrying one, I know I put myself in a better position in life and with safety and with the people in the community."

Plaxico walked the path, lost his way, then found the path again.

For the Jets, Burress is confident he'll exceed expectations.

Number 17 received several offers during the NFL's truncated free agency period this summer, ultimately signing for three million dollars to play in the Jets' hunter green. For a recently released prison inmate with so many question marks surrounding his fitness, age, and abilities, Plaxico did very well for himself.

In the HBO Real Sports interview earlier this week, he put to rest any doubts about his character and his playing career.

"Yeah, I’m the guy that shot myself. People always ask me, 'Would you change that situation?' Hell, yeah. Nobody wants to go to jail. But the person that I am, and where I’m at at this time, I wouldn’t change the person."

"I just have that confidence and belief in myself that I'm going to go out and play at a high level. Then everybody is going to go back to scratching their head again: How does he do it? How did he not practice and do it? He's been away for two years. How does he do it?"

Burress is over the sprained ankle that hampered him in the preseason and is now practicing with the team. Rex Ryan is reportedly "bubbling with excitement" over the debut of his new scoring threat. Known for their penchant for signing misfits and men with troubled pasts, Plaxico has found his asylum with the New York Jets.

Part of why we're excited about his debut stems from an inherent desire to root for redemption, to pull for a man with great talent to get a second chance. The redemption is a necessary step that we moniter with great scrutiny, but we secretly just want him back on TV screens, hauling in passes and entertaining us while we sit on our couches.

Part of it also has to do with our own lives. Plaxico isn't perfect; we aren't perfect. We all make dumb mistakes (the saying "shoot yourself in the foot" is all too applicable), but we learn from them and demonstrate our understanding to others. At some point along the way, forgiveness becomes an inevitability. We move on with our lives.

Hate the column? Love the column? Send us an email at jabronifreesports@gmail.com. 


Dean Karoliszyn is the Editor-in-Chief and cofounder of Jabroni Free Sports.