[www.nflfanhouse.com]- New York Daily News reports that a plea deal will not be in place by today’s court hearing, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one soon.
We tend to assume that the laws don’t apply to our star athletes the way they do to the rest of us. Our star athletes tend to assume that too, which is one reason they occasionally do things like carry loaded, unlicensed weapons into crowded New York City nightclubs — not to use, just to have. You know, in case.
But in the case of New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, it’s starting to become clear that that little slip-up is going to land him in prison. Burress is discussing a plea deal, in advance of Tuesday’s scheduled court appearance, but it seems that whatever deal he ends up getting will require him to do at least some jail time. From the New York Times:
“Last year, 986 cases in New York involving the same charges as Mr. Burress faces were resolved, and 90 percent of them resulted in convictions for less serious crimes, half of them misdemeanors or violations, said John M. Caher, a spokesman for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.The reduced charges in such cases include crimes like third-degree gun possession or attempted possession. Convictions on those charges allow for sentences of two years or less.”
That’s better than the 3 1/2-year minimum sentence that goes along with the second-degree weapons possession with which Burress is charged, but it seems clearer than ever that New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg will get his wish and that Burress will be sent to jail for carrying a loaded, unlicensed gun in New York City.
The Times story also says the NFL is likely to suspend Burress, which means there’s a chance he’d be out of football even longer than he’s in jail.
Unhappy with his contract situation, Burress skipped the Giants’ mandatory 2008 summer mini-camp and then sat out much of the preseason with an ankle injury. Then, shortly before the start of the regular season, the Giants agreed to a five-year, $35-million contract extension with the disgruntled receiver.
Burress had a bit of a meltdown in the Giants’ Oct. 19 win over San Francisco. The NFL fined him $45,000 for his actions in that game, when he verbally abused an official and threw a ball into the stands. That came just two weeks after the Giants suspended Burress for their Oct. 5 game for missing a team meeting.
In an easy New York win over Baltimore during Week 11, Burress tweaked his hamstring, which had him set to be inactive in Week 12 against Washington – until he suffered a more serious leg injury.
Out at a club, just hours after it was reported that he would be inactive against the Redskins because of his hamstring injury, Burress suffered a gunshot wound to his leg – self-inflicted by accident.
Burress surrendered to police Dec. 1 and was charged with two counts of illegal handgun possession after shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub. The Giants also suspended him for the rest of the 2008-09 season.
Burress then found himself the subject of a lawsuit in late December, allegedly for striking a woman with his car. Then in March, Burress was cited for four traffic tickets on one stop – speeding, improper display of tags, improper lane change and improper window tinting.
From a societal standpoint, this is a good thing. Star athletes shouldn’t be above the law. What Burress did carries a certain specific punishment, and he should receive it. Bloomberg, though obviously over-the-top angry that day, was right.
From a purely football standpoint, this is the reason you hear the Giants connected with possible trade talks for Braylon Edwards, and why almost all of the mock drafts have them taking somebody like Percy Harvin (if they get lucky) or Kenny Britt (more realistically) with the 29th overall pick in next month’s draft. They need a big wide receiver for Eli Manning to throw to. And while they still don’t know for sure when or if they’ll get Burress back, they need to act as if they can’t count on him