27
Nov
2011
Stevie Johnson invents the “Plaxico” touchdown celebration (VIDEO)
(Image via everyjoe.com)
Points for creativity, but not exactly the classiest move we’ll see this year.
After scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of today’s Bills-Jets game, Buffalo WR Stevie Johnson mocked Jets WR Plaxico Burress by pretending to shoot himself in the leg. As we all know, Burress spent 20 months in prison after shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in 2008.
But Johnson wasn’t finished there, continuing through the endzone while mimicking Santonio Holmes’ “flight” celebration and crashing to the ground in the endzone, ultimately drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
15
Aug
2011
VIDEO: Plaxico Burress “don’t take no sh!t from nobody”, including Bryant Gumbel
(Photo via NYDailyNews.com)
New York Jets WR Plaxico Burress made the first stop of his image rehab tour recently, sitting down to talk with Bryant Gumbel on HBO’s Real Sports about shooting himself in the leg, his time spent in prison, and his latest attempt to rebuild his life and career with the Jets. The full piece airs tomorrow (August 16th), but if this clip is any indication, Plax might need a bit more media training before agreeing to any more in-depth interviews.
In the preview, Burress still seems reluctant to take full responsibility for his actions, and tries to deflect the blame for the punishment he received on his name and image. When asked what he believes his public image to be, Burress opines:
“I don’t take no shit from nobody. You gotta earn my respect as a person. If you got love for me, I got love for you”
Deep stuff, right? Burress then bristles at Gumbel’s suggestion that his tarnished public image is actually warranted based on the wide receiver’s own unusually troubled history, which he doesn’t seem to think is unusual at all. In general, Plax comes off as the same ol’ Plax, who hasn’t grown up as much as we might have hoped during his time away from the game.
Among other nuggets, Burress also reveals that he had no idea who New York City Mayor Bloomberg was prior to the shooting, and that he cried many times while in prison. Let’s just say we’re definitely setting the DVR to record the whole interview tomorrow night.
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
Read the rest of this entry »
4
Dec
2010
Strahan thinks Plaxico Burress will be ‘great’ when he comes back
(Image via DayLife.com)
The fine folks over at NFL FanHouse interviewed former All-Pro DE (and current Fox NFL Analyst) Michael Strahan earlier this week at some fancy award thingy where Strahan was named best gap-toothed human alive (or something … that’s not the point). They took the opportunity to ask about Strahan’s former Giants teammate, Plaxico Burress, who is hoping to emulate the recent success of Michael Vick after his release from prison.
Burress, the talented but troubled wide receiver, has been in Ulster Correctional Facility in upstate NY for the past 15 months on weapons charges. In case you forgot, he shot himself in the leg while at a Manhattan nightclub in late November 2008. Burress is expected to be released on good behavior in June 2011, and is in talks with several teams about his services when gets out.
Strahan has been to visit Plaxico recently and said that Burress “looks great”. In fact, Strahan suggested that this time away from the game could actually be good for the 33-year-old’s football career in the long run … and that when Burress returns, Strahan thinks he will be “great”:
“(Plaxico) said that, for the first time in years, his ankles, knees, back, and everything else feels great,” Strahan said. “Sometimes a little break is good, and I think for him, he’s actually had a chance to sit back and actually reflect and really appreciate what he’s had in the past. I expect him to come back and be a great player.”
The comparisons to Vick are inevitable, who has resuscitated his career this season with the Eagles after serving 19 months on a dogfighting conviction. And Strahan believes that like Vick, Burress will emerge from this ordeal more a more focused person and player. And there’s no doubt that if he gets his priorities straightened out, Plaxico can still be a valuable asset to an NFL ball club.
It’s certainly no surprise that he’s getting a vote of confidence from Strahan, but whether Burress can actually mount a return to greatness remains to be seen.
22
Sep
2009
Sad Photo of the Week
As his last act as a free man, Burress brings his son Elijah to a NYC courthouse for his sentencing (Photo: NY Daily News)
As expected, Plaxico Burress was sentenced to 2 years in prison today on gun charges, and the banner photo above represents a tragic ending to the circus that has surrounded Burress since last November when he accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan night club. Burress will likely serve 20-months of his sentence, meaning he could be released in the spring of 2011.
Burress brought his 3-year-old son, Elijah, and his pregnant wife, Tiffany, into the courtroom on Tuesday, where he said goodbye before being taken into custody.
“(Burress) apologized to his family – to his wife, to his son and to his unborn daughter – and thanked them for their support,” his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said.
“He apologized to the fans and thanked them for their prayers and their support. He said, and I quote, ‘We will all get through this.’ “
No matter your opinion on Burress or what he did, you have to feel for his family and what they will continue to suffer through as a result of his one foolish action. And my man Elijah got all dressed up in a suit and everything to bid his father off … that’s just sad.
20
Aug
2009
Plaxico Burress heading to jail on plea bargain
Plaxico Burress will serve 20 months in prison (Photo: Newsday)
Former NY Giants WR Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty on Thursday to a weapons charge, and agreed to a 2-year prison term for shooting himself in the leg in a Manhattan night club in November of 2008
The plea came after months of attempts by Burress and his lawyers to avoid any prison time on felony gun possession charges. After being indicted two weeks ago and facing a minimum of 3-1/2 years, Burress plead guilty today to a reduced charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon. Of that 2-year sentence, Burress is expected to serve 20 months behind bars.
The grand irony here is that, according to reports, at one point Burress had the opportunity to accept a plea bargain for just 3 months in prison. Had he not jerked the DA’s office around, and accepted responsibility for his stupidity, this whole thing would be over by now.
Oh, and how glad are the Giants that they cut Burress in April, and don’t have to deal with this distraction???
4
Aug
2009
Plaxico Indicted on Gun Charges; Antonio Pierce Cleared
Burress & Pierce now face two very different roads
A Manhattan Grand Jury indicted WR Plaxico Burress on felony gun possession charges stemming from a November 2008 night club shooting … of himself. Burress now faces a minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison, and a maximum of 15 for each of the two posession counts if convicted of the charges at a trial, which barring a plea bargain wouldn’t be held until early next year. And with a suspension almost certainly forthcoming from the league, the former Giants Super Bowl hero has likely seen his NFL career come to an end.
Meanwhile, Giants LB Antonio Pierce was cleared of all charges for his involvement in the incident. Pierce – who also faced felony weapons charges after transporting the blood-spattered weapon across state lines rather than returning it to police – learned the news while at Giants training camp in Albany. He and his teammates can now breathe a sigh of relief, and get back to the work at hand.
From NJ.com:
“I think it affected all of us,” defensive end Justin Tuck said as he walked off the field following Monday afternoon’s practice. “We tried to downplay it a little bit, but when a situation like this happens, it has an opportunity to affect us and I think it did affect us a little.”
Pierce did not address the media before or after the grand jury’s decision was announced. He’s scheduled to speak with reporters Tuesday, though the normally media-friendly former Pro Bowl selection told one reporter the chances of that happening are “50/50″ and that he might not talk this entire season.
“Antonio is a leader on this team, but he is still human, and this has been an emotionally draining experience for him,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said in a statement. “We know he was happy to get to training camp (on Sunday), and with this behind him, he can focus all his energy and efforts on football.”
For his part, Burress’ attorney remains dogged in his belief that the proceedings were made biased by the public statements of NYC’s Mayor and DA, who have been determined to see Burress serve jail time from the beginning. And he went so far to suggest that Plaxico could still play this season in the NFL
“Mr. Burress continues to train and is available to play this season, pending what action, if any, is taken by the commissioner of the NFL,” Brafman said in a statement.
“Given the complexities of the legal proceedings that lie ahead, it is unlikely that a trial of this indictment would be scheduled before the spring of 2010,” he said.
Ummm …. yeeaaah. Lawyers are an incredible species, aren’t they?
28
Jul
2009
Should Antonio Pierce be punished for Burress’ stupidity?
Lost in the most recent uproar surrounding the Plaxico Burress case is the fact that Giants LB Antonio Pierce is also facing indictment from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for his part in the shooting.
Pierce, who was with Burress at the Latin Quarter Night Club last November when the moron shot himself in the thigh, could face a jail sentence of his own for reportedly possessing the weapon after the shooting. From the NY Post:
Pierce & Burress
According to law-enforcement sources, a security guard picked the blood-splattered, still warm Glock up off the club floor and stashed it in the glove compartment of Pierce’s Escalade.
Cops say that after driving Plax to the hospital, Pierce drove to Totowa, NJ, where both players live. He then dropped the gun off at Plaxico’s house.
Prosecutors have considered “flipping” the security guard to nail the two players, according to sources.
We’ve known for months that Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau (who is retiring at the end of the year) is going to use this case as his swan song, and is hell bent on having Plax serve some jail time to make an example of him. But does Pierce deserve the same treatment?
Although he’s slowed considerably in recent years, Pierce is still the captain of the New York defense, and losing him for any amount of time would be a big blow to the Giants.
Giants owner John Mara issued a statement today in defense of his captain, saying the charges against Pierce are unwarranted:
“While we in no way condone Antonio’s decision to be in a nightclub in Manhattan less than two days before a game, we cannot understand the DA’s position that Antonio is subject to criminal charges. When this incident occurred, Antonio reacted out of concern for the health and well-being of Plaxico Burress. His first priority was to make sure Plaxico received proper medical attention for what very well could have been a life-threatening wound. There was no criminal intent on the part of Antonio, who was thrust into this predicament simply because he accompanied Plaxico that evening and because he made the decision to immediately take Plaxico to the hospital. We believe it is unwarranted for the DA’s office to press criminal charges against Antonio under these circumstances.”
At the end of the day, I sincerely doubt Pierce will do any jail time. This is mostly media grandstanding on the part of the DA, and an attempt to gain further leverage against Burress. But I don’t think they gain anything in the court of public opinion by going after Pierce.
It would be like charging A.C. Cowlings with traffic violations in the OJ Simpson case.
27
Jul
2009
Clinton Portis Will Haunt Your Dreams
There’s a lot of big stuff going on in NFL news today … namely that Michael Vick was reinstated by Roger Goodell and Plaxico Burress still looks like he’s heading to jail.
But when we saw this picture of Redskins RB Clinton Portis (above), it shook us to the core. Suddenly, all other news seemed trivial compared to the paralyzing, horriffic fear of having our brains eaten in our sleep by this blonde devil-creature. It’s all we could do to get out of the fetal position and crawl to the keyboard to make this post.
Clearly, there is only one way to handle this: don’t go to sleep. And if you see Portis on the street … KILL IT!!!
18
Jun
2009
Plaxico Burress Grand Jury to convene in July, not September
The New York Post reports that Plaxico Burress will be facing a grand jury on his felony gun possession charge in July. This is in stark contrast to reports earlier this week that the grand jury session would be pushed back to September – a scenario that would have made playing in the NFL this season a more realistic possibility for Burress.
Apparently responding to cries of “celebrity justice” over delays in the gun case against ex-Giant Plaxico Burress, Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said yesterday his office would convene a grand jury sometime next month.
So, while Plaxico seems to be fully intent on playing this season, and is even going around telling people he wants to play for Tampa Bay, this darned court case of his just won’t go away. And now teams are even less likely to roll the dice on Plaxico, since he could be indicted and going to trial as early as this year.
In other Plax news, former Giants QB and current ESPN commentator Tim Hasselbeck didn’t pull any punches in his opinion of Burress on NFL Live yesterday, going so far as to call him “a disaster“:
“When you’re looking at Plaxico Burress, there’s no doubt that he can be a dominant receiver at times on Sundays. We’ve seen it,” Hasselbeck said. “But with that being said, I played with the guy. I was in the locker room with him for two years. He’s a disaster as a teammate. He’s a disaster as a guy that you have to coach.
“And what do I mean by that? If you want to wait for a guy to show up to meetings, if you want to have to beg a guy to run full-speed in practice, if you want a guy that would disappear in games because he doesn’t get the ball early — then look, Plaxico Burress is your guy. But if you don’t want those distractions, and you don’t want to deal with the other headaches that come along with Plaxico Burress, then you better stay away from him.”
So there you have it NFL GM’s. Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s husband has spoken. End of subject.
12
Jun
2009
No Plea Deal in Burress case. Could Plax play in 2009?
Plaxico is just putting off the inevitable at this point
The New York Daily News reports that Plaxico Burress’ lawyers have not been able to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, and that his court case on Monday will be adjourned yet again. This time, until “sometime in September”.
Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, suggested that Burress would be able to play in the NFL this coming season, and also told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that the case might not even see trial until 2010. From ESPN.com:
“As far as I’m concerned, if he wants to play this year, he’s able to play,” Brafman said, according to the New York Daily News. “We will be in and out of the court of Monday morning by 9:15.” Meanwhile, a date for the adjournment “has yet to be determined,” Brafman told Paolantonio. “If there is going to be a trial in this case, it will not be until 2010. That is my best guess.”
Plenty of teams have shown interest in signing Burress if he doesn’t go to jail (most notably the Jets, Bears and Bucs). But just because Burress won’t be in prison this Fall doesn’t mean he’ll be able to play in the NFL. Roger Goodell will have something to say about that first, since Burress violated the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy when he shot himself in the leg with an unlicensed gun, and all. So the soap opera continues.
His lawyers can put off the inevitable for as long as they want, but ultimately, Plaxico is going to serve some time.
