A few more thoughts on Plaxico Burress
by Ed Valentine on Dec 2, 2008 8:42 AM EST
in News
36 comments
A few more thoughts on wide receiver Plaxico Burress and his future with the New York Giants. Then, as coach Tom Coughlin wants his team to do, I am going to move forward as much as possible.
- I don't understand the mentality of superstar athletes, or anyone for that matter, intentionally putting themselves in situations where they feel they must have a weapon in order to protect themselves. Now, I know I am not a superstar athlete. I am a 48-year-old middle class white male and my highest athletic achievement was being co-captain of my high school basketball team. So, I have never been in the shoes of a professional athlete. Still, intentionally putting yourself in a situation where you believe your safety is at risk does not make any sense to me.
- Fans who want to see Burress remain with the Giants -- and play again this season -- are passionate, but in the minority. Let me ask you guys this. The Giants got better when Tiki Barber left. They got better when they traded away Jeremy Shockey. They have not skipped a beat with the retirement of Michael Strahan or the injury to Osi Umenyiora. What evidence have you seen -- on the field this season -- that taking Burress out of the mix would bring down the Giants when those losses did not? The Giants have the highest-scoring offense in the league and Burress has not made a truly significant contribution since Week 2. Yes, the Giants are more talented when Burress plays. That does not, however, make them a better team.
- One more thought on Burress and his on-field contribution. We all love Plax for what he did for the Giants last season, playing on one leg and showing tremendous heart during the Giants Super Bowl season. We can never forget that, and we will always appreciate it and no one is trying to minimize it. That, however, has absolutely zero to do with this season. This is a different team, with a better, deeper offense. Double teams or no double teams, this offense does not need Burress the way the 2007 offense did. Sure, you would always love to have a player with that kind of ability on the field. Even without him, though, this offense has a cachet of weapons (isn't that a strange line under the circumstances?) that is the envy of just about every team in the league. Burress' absence, if he is indeed finished with the Giants, will not be the determining factor in whether or not the Giants defend their title. I believe there are only two players this team absolutely can't lose if it is to win another title -- Eli Manning and Justin Tuck.
- Despite what New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants, there is no way Burress spends 3.5 years in prison for this. He will face discipline, for sure. Possibly a suspension by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He will probably end up losing a lot of money the Giants would have paid him. He might even end up serving some time behind bars. But, 3.5 years? That seems way out of line.
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You nailed it, Ed,
especially, “more talented…better team.” It’s all about team.
by george cronin on Dec 2, 2008 8:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The 3.5 years is a mandatory minimum. So if he gets convicted there’s no choice. I suppose he could possibly plea to a lesser charge, but it doesn’t appear as if the mayor’s office will let that happen.
by JasonB on Dec 2, 2008 9:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
This seems very serious.
New York law requires a minimum of 3-1/2 years in jail for a conviction of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the charge Burress faces.
“I don’t think that anybody should be exempt from that,” Bloomberg said. “It would be an outrage if we don’t prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
Not prosecuting celebrities would make “a sham, a mockery of the law,” the mayor asserted.
The mandatory sentencing would not necessarily apply if Burress is offered a plea bargain.
Defense lawyers said prosecutors are loath to cut a deal. “The DAs … have been very hard-nosed on this,” said veteran criminal defense lawyer Martin Geduldig. “They expect jail time.”
by JasonB on Dec 2, 2008 9:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well,
there was a mandatory jail time when P Diddy was arrested, but he got off this charge with this same lawyer. Plax has a lot of money & as most of us know, if you have money then our legal system is set up for you.
by potroast on Dec 2, 2008 9:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Not sure there was
The ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossak said the mandatory minimum came because of that P Diddy case.
That said, you’re right. It never hurts to be rich in the US legal system…
by JasonB on Dec 2, 2008 9:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He should do some jail time
What he did was totally reckless and it’s fortunate he didn’t kill someone. That said, 3.5 years would be outrageous. The US incarcerates about ten times more of its citizens than any other civilized country in the world, and it’s b/c of bizarre minimum sentences like this. But with Nanny Bloomberg on the case, anything is possible.
by drunkUncle on Dec 2, 2008 10:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ain't that the truth.
The financial system also. Everything else as well.
by george cronin on Dec 2, 2008 9:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
All True.
and if Plax has decided that’s the way he wants to roll, he can’t do it here. But Plax never struck me as a genuine gold-plated @ssh@le, the dude thinks he has his own special reality that is separate from everyone else’s. But when a guy shoots himself in the nuts, you could hope that the message “your doing it wrong” might get thru.
I don’t get the whole I need a gun feel safe thing. I use to have to carry a lot money on occasion, and packing never made me feel safer. How can you have good time if you feel like a target? He can afford to buy some muscle.
And people who keep a round in the chamber with the gun in their pocket deserve to shoot themselves in the nuts.
by The Pale Scot on Dec 2, 2008 9:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
It's about responsibility
In the wake of the Sean Taylor shooting, Richard Collier, even Jerome McDougle a few years ago it’s hard to blame a guy for wanting to protect himself…. but it has to be in the confines of the law and you have to know what you’re doing.
That’s the problem here. It’s not that Burress was carrying a gun… it’s that it was allegedly an illegal gun and it went off in a club and hit someone.
by JasonB on Dec 2, 2008 9:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
to expound on this
You don’t apparently need to be even in a putting yourself in a bad situation to be a target. Steve Smith got robbed at his house, Sean Taylor was murdered at his, Collier got shot in his car. Short of sealing yourself in the biosphere it seems that avoiding trouble is simply a game of chance for a lot young, black NBA and NFL atheltes. A lot of people, (black like me and Plax, btw) look a guy like Plaxico Burress and say he looks just like me, why does he get to have millions and I can’t get by on my really crappy or no job at all, and set out to harm them.
by DoctorK16 on Dec 2, 2008 10:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with this
it’s really unfair for us “regular” folk to criticize athletes for wanting to go out and have a good time, just b/c they might be targeted where we wouldn’t be.
Everyone seems to be forgetting that carrying a gun is a Constitutional right, which was recently reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. What happened on Friday should only help prove how ineffective gun control laws are. Plax’s stupidity, IMO, comes not from carrying the gun, but from being irresponsible with it (not having the safety on, not having it in a secure holster, etc.)
by cjmulrain on Dec 2, 2008 1:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
clarification
owning a gun is a Constitutional right, not necessarily carrying it. As an aspiring lawyer I need to be more careful in my words there
by cjmulrain on Dec 2, 2008 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ed
We need more stories about the high school basketball team days!
Giants fan from the womb to the tomb
NY Ranger fans talk all things Blueshirts at
http://broadwayblueview.blogspot.com/
by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 2, 2008 10:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Umm
I’m not so sure about that … since we sucked!
by Ed Valentine on Dec 2, 2008 10:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
final comments on plax then i swear i will shut up
first, once again, i am not condoning his pathetic actions. they were moronic, and plax is most likely going to go to jail for it. i dont understand why he did what he did either. clearly any rational person should have made different decisions. but then, learly no rational person would play the lottery, yet millions still do to my confounded amazement.
second, while the giants have shown that they CAN win without plax (while at the same time showing that this doesnt have to be a distraction either), they are undoubtedly a better TEAM with plax. i love hixon as much as the next, but plax is light years ahead of him, its not even close. there is no one on the giants roster that can replace plax. but yes, they can win without him, as they have, still, that doesnt mean they should get rid of him just because of this.
third, i feel so much of this rush to condemn plax comes from an almost fetish for making the giants players out to be saints, so we, as giants fans, can claim the high moral ground when players on other teams screw up. the difference is, plax was not acting like a thug or trying to cause trouble. he was not in a strip club making it rain. he is also not T.O. these comparisons are unfair.
furthermore, i feel like a lot of the negative energy towards plax comes from his no practico attitude and his missing practice. this perception is more a creation of tabloids than reality. yes, when most of us fail to show up for work, we get fired. when normal employees act like this, they get canned. but that has nothing to do with plax. when someone in a labor force has a unique and irreplaceable skill, they get treated differently. this is not news. dont think of plax as some clock punching desk jokey, think of him as one of the lead actors of a big budget hollywood movie. he is going to get paid a lot and he is going to be treated differently than the rest of the word. if you dont like that set up then i dont see how you can enjoy professional sports.
finally, since we all agree that this is about the team, I will leave the final say up to the team. considering the circumstances, i’m going to assume they will be for plax, as they know he wasnt being selfish and they are better off with him. i could be wrong, but i dont see them having a problem with him going to a club (other players were there) or carrying a gun, as im sure many others do as well. plax just made a tremendously stupid mistake. if his teammates, however, decide he is not worth it and theyre better of without him, then i guess it is time for him to go. until then, i will be supporting him as i feel other fans should as well.
my final thought, and then i swear i will shut up, is this story from espn the mag about plax. i wont comment on it but to say its a pretty good read if youre up for it.
by kendynamo on Dec 2, 2008 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree with much of this
The media in general when it comes to young black males has a hard time disguising silly, immature behavior from truly pathological behavior. Taking your gun to the club is a horrible idea, shooting yourself with it is stupid and reckless and deserves to be punished. But it’s not behavior where I can say this guy is a menace to society, like when PacMan starts a riot in a strip club. It’s like comparing Manny Ramirez and Rae Carruth for example. One is and immature idiot and one is a murder. The press compares them as if they’re the same.
by DoctorK16 on Dec 2, 2008 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
my problem with Plax
is that it’s been one thing after another this season. I don’t care how good he is, it’s a distraction to the team. Luckily, they are good enough to win despite it. But what really makes you think that by letting him back he’ll clean up his act? IMO he’s in the same boat as Shockey and Tiki before him, where enough is enough. I love the guy and he’s extremely talented, but I don’t love him as much as I loved Tiki, and he’s not as talented as Tiki was, and we got over that hump just fine.
by cjmulrain on Dec 2, 2008 1:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Could we
send him to Dallas for DeMarcus Ware straight up?
Just kidding.
Not really.
by Simms-McConkey on Dec 2, 2008 10:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think at this point
Tom Coughlin would trade him for Andre Ware
Maybe even some Tupper Ware
Giants fan from the womb to the tomb
NY Ranger fans talk all things Blueshirts at
http://broadwayblueview.blogspot.com/
by Jim Schmiedeberg on Dec 2, 2008 10:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Maybe even some Tupper Ware
That was funny
World F*ckin' Champions, indeed...
by foos05 on Dec 2, 2008 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One thought on this fiasco
The only positives that can possibly come out of this are that (a) the team does seem to play better when distracting “superstars” are removed from the equation (as noted above) and (b) this really gives the team something to rally around. In the locker room, every question from the media will be about Plax this, Plax that – so when it actually comes time to get out on the field….the GMen will finally be able to take out their frustrations and rally together as a team with a common bond, a common goal, and with singular focus. If anyone can turn this into a positive and make it a rallying point for the team, its Coughlin. So I think the TEAM will come out of this alright – and that’s the only thing I’m worried about.
As for Plax; I’m done defending him. Done. What he did was so selfish and ridiculous. I could excuse his other actions this year as Plax being a stereotypical mercurial WR. But this…..is simply too far. I wish him the best of luck….elsewhere. That’s all.
by Cody K on Dec 2, 2008 11:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
My .02
I don’t want this to turn into a gun debate, but I can fully understand Plax’s need to feel secure by carrying a weapon.Granted, it was being carried illegally, and that’s what’s made all the difference. Like other’s have mentioned, it’s insane how many players have been targets, as of late. I live in the suburbs of Jacksonville, and Collier’s shooting was all anyone could talk about here for weeks. It’s a shame – but these players have become prey.
I’m a 30 year old female who lives in upper middle class suburbia. I hold my concealed permit and I carry a loaded gun. Why? Because my job takes me into and through some of the seediest areas of Jax on a daily basis. ETVAL, the Football Fanatics website you linked to, they are one of my customers, and I damn sure wouldn’t be in their neck of the woods without my sidearm in my car.
But back to Plax. He made his bed, and now he has to lie in it. He should man up and take full responsibility for his actions. I have faith that Mara, Reese, and Coughlin will do what’s right for the team. And last time I looked, ther was no ‘I’ in team.
by OleMissGal on Dec 2, 2008 1:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well said post
Clearly Plax was kind of a dope bringing gun with him at club, but i understand where he’s coming from with all the recent targeted attacks against NFL’ers, especially with Steve Smith getting robbed 4 days earlier. Hopefully, the 2nd Amendment advocates come to his defense as well as the opponents of mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
Plax makes this team scary good and GMEN likely win another Superbowl with him. Without him we’ll be grasping for straws when the big boys take aim at us. Just having Plax on the field the defense will need to pay attention. Cover Two schemes as well as 5 rushers on running game will dry up our offensive attack.
by acm on Dec 2, 2008 2:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
"I can understand where he is coming from" WTF???
1. Carrying a gun not registered to myself. NOPE
2. Carrying it in my waste band…NOPE
3. Accompanied by a huge wad of money and excessive jewelry…NOPE
4. Into a place that more than likely is infested with shady characters.
I really don’t care if the guy runs a 4.3 and can catch a ball. The idea that a man lacking any moral fiber is held in such high regard and is of so much importance in our society is indicative of a flawed society.
My son won’t be wearing a Plaxico Jersey.
by badmatty53 on Dec 2, 2008 5:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
not sure
I see a problem with #3 at all: the guy makes money, he has a right to dress well, wear jewelry, and carry money around with him. #4 is patently false, every report I’ve heard says that the club he was at was a very upscale place. And I thought the gun was registered, just not in NY?
The only thing I have a problem with is that he handled the gun like a moron: not having the safety on and putting it in your pants instead of a holster is asking for trouble. But, IMO, he’s already received the punishment he deserves: he SHOT HIMSELF IN THE LEG. Why this deserves 3.5 years minimum in jail is beyond me. I do think the Giants should get rid of him, but b/c he’s a distraction to the team, not b/c he’s some sort of evil person.
by cjmulrain on Dec 2, 2008 6:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He's a thug
If he couldn’t catch a ball you would probably be talking about how they need to prosecute these types of situations to the fullest extent of the law.
BTW, you think its ok to tote around concealed weapons. Or only if you are wearing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.
by badmatty53 on Dec 3, 2008 1:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm a hardcore libertarian
so I guarantee you it wouldn’t matter who he was, I wouldn’t want them to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. IMO, this was a victimless crime – the guy shot himself, why should he be arrested for that? If the gun had hit someone else, then you throw the book at him, but it didn’t. And I have no problem with people carrying concealed weapons, as long as they know how to use them, and aren’t dumb enough to put them in the waistband of their sweats without a safety.
by cjmulrain on Dec 4, 2008 12:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Take heart, cj--it looks more and more that
Austrian economics might one day prevail when there is nothing but smoking ruins left of our financial system. BTW, I’ve never personally met a libertarian who waseither an African-American or a lawyer, although I know there are at least a few such.
by george cronin on Dec 4, 2008 6:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Little Help
Can someone explain the negative salary cap ramifications if the Giants were to severe their relationship with Plax? In other words, how could cutting his payroll actually hurt the club as some reports suggest?
by edzilla on Dec 2, 2008 2:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Edzilla
See the comment I dropped in your ‘Fanpost.’ I think the link I put in there explains it better than I can.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 2, 2008 3:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Tiki didn’t affect us because we had jacibs and a great O-Line
Shockey was an ass and ruined team chemistry so losing him was addition by subtraction
Strahan had Tuck waiting behind him and even Osi had Kiwi, but that didn’t even matter that much because the D is just so stacked
No one really is ready to step into a full tim #1 reciever role outside of an aging Toomer
having Plax will make us better just losing him wont make us worse
Plax takes a safety out of th Box for the Giants (you might learn the effects this weak v. the Eagles and Dawkins, in coverage Dawk is a cupcake that the Gmen can tear apart, in the box he is a force against the run) that will help us in the playoffs
by gdizzle320 on Dec 2, 2008 5:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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