Plaxico Burress fired from the Giants

 Update: 8/03/09

A grand jury has indicted former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress on weapons charges.The grand jury did not indict his former teammate, Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Prosecutors say the indictment charges Burress, 31, with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment.

UPDATE:4/04/09

From the Daily News

It took the Giants four months to realize what should have been obvious the moment Plaxico Burress ripped a bullet into his thigh in late November: They are so much better off without him.

So, they came to the logical conclusion Friday. He ruined one season. Why give him the opportunity to ruin another?

The Giants are a patient and loyal organization – admirable qualities – but even Burress was just too much for them to handle, so they released him. They couldn’t let the uncertain future of an unreliable yet immensely talented player continue to hang over them as they make plans for the draft, the rest of the offseason, training camp and the season.

Burress’ legal situation may be more clearly defined at his next court date on June15. The Giants were certainly hoping for some sort of resolution with Burress’ court appearance this past Tuesday, but it became apparent on Monday that the only thing that would happen would be a postponement as a plea arrangement is worked out.

The Giants have been fed up with Burress for a long time now, but didn’t reach their breaking point until he rejected a reworked contract offer that would have settled his arbitration case, but also eliminated the last four years of the extension he signed in September. That convinced the Giants that Burress was not about to change his ways.

Once Burress had his case postponed on Tuesday, pushing his court date back 10 weeks, it guaranteed the Giants would not know Burress’ status before the April25 draft. And if he gets thrown in the slammer and doesn’t start serving his time until June, even if it’s a shortened sentence, by the time he gets out and then is hit with what is sure to be a hefty suspension from Roger Goodell, his 2009 season is shot, so to speak.

Too many uncertainties, and that doesn’t even take into account that Burress could easily revert to knucklehead status upon his return, whenever that is. Were the Giants upset about the court delay? “I don’t know,” said his attorney, Ben Brafman. “The pending legal case didn’t help matters. The timing of their decision surprised me.”

Burress shot himself late on the night of Nov.28. The Giants should have cut him after they met with him the following week. They put him in storage for the rest of the season and his absence clearly was a huge reason why their title defense ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.

What a waste of a season, when at one time the Giants appeared headed for a repeat. What a waste for Burress, who had reached cult-hero status in New York the season before. He played through the Super Bowl year with a terribly painful ankle, then put on an all-time performance with 11 catches in freezing conditions in Green Bay in the NFC title game before catching the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Dumb and Dumber!

from the Daily News

Plaxico Burress isn’t the only one in trouble after Friday night’s shooting. Antonio Pierce is in hot water, too.

Pierce was not only with Burress when the receiver shot himself in the right thigh at a Manhattan night club Friday night, he apparently tried to hide the gun after the incident, the Daily News has learned. In fact, Pierce’s attorney was frantically trying to save him from criminal charges late last night, the News is reporting.

Burress, meanwhile, is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges sometime in the next few days, according to sources. He could face up to five years in prison if he’s eventually convicted. Carrying an illegal, concealed weapon in New York also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 ½ years.

For the full story, you’re going to want to click right here and read the best and most comprehensive account of the Friday night shooting and its ramifications, as put together by Team Daily News.

Our reporting confirms a lot of what I told you earlier, with some new and very surprising details. Here are a couple of the latest gems:

• Burress was drinking at the nightclub, and the gun apparently slipped down his pants leg and went off accidentally. He apparently does not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in New York. He had a license in Florida, but that expired in May and wouldn’t have been recognized here anyway.
• Burress told Pierce (and others at the club) not to call 911 after he was shot, and he didn’t go to the hospital for two hours, until 2 a.m. when his wife, Tiffany, and a friend finally took him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
• Pierce agreed to cooperate with police if they agreed not to immediately charge him with a crime. Cops are still planning to get a warrant to search Pierce’s car.

Despite his role in the incident, Pierce will apparently start and play in today’s game against the Washington Redskins. He made the trip with the team on Saturday and according to a team spokesman he was at the team hotel. The spokesman also said that no suspensions or benchings were planned as a result of the Burress shooting.