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LANDOVER, Md.
HERE'S WHAT Plaxico Burress has given the New York Giants since they gave him a five-year, $35 million contract extension to start this season - a massive, needless migraine.
A series of them actually, leading now to an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound late Friday night in a Manhattan nightclub, from a gun Burress - the talented wide receiver who grew up in Virginia Beach - reportedly was carrying illegally.
The pain, to say nothing of the madness, needs to stop.
The Giants need to do what they must do to cut their losses on Burress, 31, and wish him a nice football life with whoever else is still willing to deal with his inexplicable, self-destructive nonsense.
Burress is no Michael Vick. Until now, his professional offenses have been mostly annoying, nuisance stuff: missing or being late for meetings, pouting over his contract and sitting out minicamp, popping off about officials. Immature acting out that made you want to shake Burress and ask him why he seemed bent on spoiling his new-found respect and good fortune.
While they have punished him along the way, the Giants at the same time have been willing to swallow Burress' quirks and oddities, for good reason. Burress is a superb talent.
At 6-foot-5, the former first-round draft pick has established himself as a unique offensive weapon. Playing through season-long pain from various injuries, he caught the winning pass in last season's Super Bowl. Two weeks before that he played one of the great playoff games in league history at frigid Green Bay, catching 11 passes as the Giants won the NFC title.
That said, Burress, since agreeing to his new contract on opening night, has been suspended by the Giants for missing a meeting and being weirdly incommunicado about it. He's been docked more than $200,000 by both his team and the NFL for boorish or belligerent behavior.
In a season in which the Giants are now 11-1 after throttling Washington 23-7 on Sunday and steaming toward the NFC East title, it's as if Burress has been in one place while the rest of the Giants have been somewhere else, a better place way over there.
No question, Burress marches to a different beat, and does so unapologetically. The league is full of divas like Burress who do likewise. As a fan, you get used to egomaniacal eccentrics. But discharging a gun, accidentally or not, in a public place is something very different. Felony gun charges go farther than not caring about convention.
Burress' attorney Benjamin Brafman told The Associated Press that Burress will be charged with criminal possession of a weapon today in New York, and that Burress would enter a not-guilty plea.
Burress' coach and teammates said little about their troubled star after Sunday's victory, however, beyond being relieved Burress was OK and wishing him a speedy recovery.
"We all are upset about what happened to Plaxico," coach Tom Coughlin said. "Hopefully he's going to be fine and so on and so forth, that's our first concern. Once that was taken care of and we knew that he was OK, then I think the guys got right back to focusing on why we were here."
"Everybody's concerned about Plaxico and his health," quarterback Eli Manning said. "His health was everybody's main concern."
Still, the Giants can't talk around the reality that Burress' latest issue endangered others. And though no one wants to acknowledge it, Burress keeps eating away at the team unity the Giants have used to rally to last year's title and position themselves for another Super Bowl run.
How can dragging Burress along with them be worth the distraction and conflict anymore? Burress has caught just 35 passes and scored four touchdowns - pedestrian numbers - since he agreed to his new contract.
It's true Burress regularly draws double coverage from defenders, and that has helped the Giants develop the league's most potent rushing attack. Still, the Giants as a franchise are clearly bigger and better than Burress, and they can show it by severing their relationship.
Giants' co-owner John Mara was diplomatic about that subject before Sunday's game at FedEx Field, stressing patience before determining Burress' future. But even before Burress' gun somehow slid down his pants leg and went off into his own thigh - blessedly not into a by-stander - the problem child's present had been trying enough.
The Giants should let him go be someone else's problem.
Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com
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Two punishments are coming
One is probably going to happen in court either in New York, New Jersey where he lives, or both. The other will come from the Commissioner's office. I am of the opinion Burress is probably going to lose out big time both in time and money because he lacks common sense. To his credit, he's not been a criminal miscreant a la Pacman Jones but at worst a crass annoying diva. But if you're making $35 million, you don't put yourself in situations which could compromise you, your family, or even your job. But Burress won't be the last. We'll probably be talking about someone else in sports sooner or later ending up on the tabloids and in police blotters.
Plax
Amen, well written and right on point. Let him find a job paying that anywhere these days. Ask the folks around his old neighborhood, they would like to make a tenth of that contract. Giants part ways,cut your losses.
Burress is no Michael Vick
Get rid of him!!
Plaxico
Why do these guys do this stupid stuff over & over? Is it not enough to be admired, make millions, be superbly fit & healthy? Why choose to skirt the law? Surely there's enough of an adrenalin rush on the field of an NFL stadium without having to push the legal envelope to it's limit! I just don't get it...
Time to go!
We may be rushing to judgement, but who else put the gun in Burress's pants? Needless to say, I am quite sure no one but himself did. He did not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in NY. The one in FL expired in May. If he wants to carry a concealed weapon, he needs to be legal with it. If it was us, we would be in jail for a long time. I don't care if you are an NFL star or not, you need to get the same treatment. I think he is another star gone bad because he thinks he can do what he wants when he wants to. The NFL needs to rid themselves of these idiots. Remember these NFL players are looked up to by kids. Kids are getting the wrong idea.
plax
no wonder the steelers never shed a tear when LAXico left.
Easy to condemn
It is always easy to comdemn others, even before all he facts are out.
I think it is very reasonable for the Giants to reserve comments on personnel matters until they obtain the facts.
Since the Pilot is looking to cut jobs, maybe it should consider these columnists who want everyone else to losetheir jobs.
Good Bye!
The NFL should part ways with Burress.