Season over for Giants WR Burress
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker)—Plaxico Burress
reported to Giants Stadium to learn his season is over.
The New York Giants placed Burress on the reserve/non-football
injury list Tuesday, officially ending his season.
The anticipated move came one day after Burress was charged
with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon after suffering a self-inflicted
gunshot wound at a Manhattan nightclub the previous weekend.
The Giants fined Burress and suspended him for four games
for conduct detrimental to the team for multiple and repeated violations
of club rules.
Should the defending Super Bowl champions make the playoffs,
which is a mere formality given their 11-1 record, Burress will not be allowed
to return to the Giants’ active list.
“As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is
for Plaxico’s health and well-being,” Giants president John Mara said. “This
is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also
deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life.
“When I spoke with Plaxico, he expressed great remorse
for letting down his teammates.”
It marked the second suspension this season for Burress,
who likely has played his final game in a Giants uniform.
One of the heroes of New York’s surprising victory in
Super Bowl XLII, Burress posted $100,000 bail Monday after being charged
with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon - a Glock semiautomatic
pistol - and third-degree possession for carrying the ammunition clip.
Both are Class C felonies, for which Burress could be
sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 3 1/2 years in jail if convicted.
Per league rules, Burress was required to report to work
Tuesday to receive mandatory treatment on both the gunshot wound and the
strained right hamstring that initially sidelined him for this past Sunday’s
game against the Washington Redskins.
The veteran wide receiver, who caught the winning pass
in Super Bowl XLII, met with Mara, general manager Jerry Reese and head
coach Tom Coughlin to learn of his fate.
After undergoing treatment on his leg, Burress was sent
to Dr. Scott Rodeo for an MRI exam on his injured leg. He returned to Giants
Stadium shortly after 3 p.m. and was informed by Reese that he was being
placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
“The decision we made today regarding Plaxico’s roster
status was based on the examination of Plaxico by our team physician,” Reese
said. “Dr. Rodeo believes Plaxico would be out at least four to six weeks
with the gunshot wound.
“I had two conversations with Plaxico today, and it was
obvious that he understood the magnitude of this situation. He knows that
we are here to support him and help him get healthy.”
Coughlin said no one player can replace Burress in the
starting lineup.
“When you lose a player of Plaxico’s ability, it is incumbent
that everybody step up and fill the void,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
“In the last two seasons, this team has done an outstanding job of that.
We made it clear to Plax today that we are here to support him in any way
possible.”
Burress turned himself in to detectives at New York City’s
17th Precinct in midtown Manhattan on Monday, where he was charged with
criminal possession of a weapon following a shooting incident late Friday
night at the Latin Quarter nightclub.
According to police reports, Burress shot himself in the
thigh and was hospitalized overnight before he was released at about 2 p.m.
Saturday.
A police spokesman said the investigation is continuing.
Burress and teammate Antonio Pierce were at the Latin
Quarter when the shooting occurred. Pierce, appearing on New York radio
station WFAN late Monday afternoon, pleaded with the public to “don’t believe
everything you hear.”
A first-round pick of the Pittsburgh in 2000, Burress
spent his first five seasons with the Steelers before joining the Giants
in 2005.
Burress had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons with New York,
and hauled in a career-high 12 touchdown passes in 2007 despite not practicing
for virtually the entire season due to a gimpy ankle.
In the Giants’ stunning 17-14 victory over then-unbeaten
New England in the Super Bowl, Burress caught a 13-yard scoring pass from
Eli Manning with 35 seconds to play to provide the winning margin.
But matters have spiraled downward this season for Burress,
who finished with 41 receptions for 454 yards and four touchdowns this year.
Burress, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract
extension prior to the season, missed the Giants’ October 5 game against
the Seattle Seahawks after being suspended for missing a team meeting.
He also was involved in a sideline confrontation with
Coughlin during a game and has been fined multiple times for a total of
approximately $200,000.
