Burress To Plead Not Guilty On Gun Charge

Lawyer To AP: Giants' Receiver Who Accidentally Shot Himself At Nightclub Will Turn Himself In

(AP)  Plaxico Burress' lawyer said Sunday he was advised that the New York Giants' star receiver will be charged with criminal possession of a weapon after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh.

Lawyer Benjamin Brafman wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Burress will turn himself in Monday morning in New York City and "will enter a plea of not guilty later that same day."

"I do not expect that Mr. Burress will make a statement," Brafman wrote.

He met with Burress for about an hour Sunday at the player's home in New Jersey.

"I would ask that his fans, the Giants and the media withhold judgment in this matter until all of the facts have been disclosed," Brafman wrote to the AP.

Brafman is a well-known criminal lawyer who has defended mobsters and other high-profile figures, including hip-hop impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs on a bribery and gun possession charge in 2001.

Burress shot himself at a Manhattan nightclub Friday night and was released from a hospital early Saturday, the Giants said.

"As far as we know, he's going to be OK," general manager Jerry Reese said before the Super Bowl champions' game Sunday at the Washington Redskins.

Before the shooting, Burress already had been ruled out of the game because of an unrelated leg injury.

New York police and NFL security are investigating what happened Friday. Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce was interviewed by NFL security at the team's hotel Saturday, Reese said.

Pierce - who started against Washington - reportedly was present for the latest dramatic turn in a tumultuous season of fines and suspension for Burress.

"Antonio is working on trying to beat the Redskins right now," Reese said before kickoff. "That's where his focus is and where it should be right now."

Neither Reese nor Giants president and CEO John Mara would say what Burress' status with the team might be going forward.

"I want to wait until we find out all the facts and circumstances before we make any determination," Mara said. "I don't know what happened there, and until we find out exactly what happened, I'm not going to make any comment or make any decision about what his future is."

Reese and Mara said they hadn't spoken to Burress, who hurt his hamstring two weeks ago and was going to miss the game against the Redskins because of that injury.

"I reached out to him," Reese said. "I did not get a return phone call."

Mara repeatedly said the Giants would cooperate with the police and the NFL in their investigations.

Asked if he knows what the scope of those inquiries are, Mara said: "I do not know, no. I guess the circumstances of how he got shot, whose gun it was. There are a lot of questions like that that are still unanswered."

Burress caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in the Giants' Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots in February, following a regular season in which he scored a career-high 12 TDs. He was rewarded with a $35 million, five-year contract, only hours before the current season.

But his consecutive-games streak with at least one catch ended at 115 last week against Arizona, after he aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.

Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns while constantly drawing double coverage this season.

Off the field, he was suspended for a game against Seattle in October and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the Giants of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.

Burress also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during a game against San Francisco in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands.

[ravnslikbals]

not guilty and he had no permit for his gun?

It will be interesting if he gets off - more guns will be on the streets of this godforsaken town.

[stupidrules3]

I guess that was a gun in his pocket and he wasn''t just happy to see you.

[stupidrules3]

Just a case of premature detonation.

[dewbug2]

Ted Nugent owns and uses all kinds of guns, bows & arrows, etc etc....but I doubt he takes ''em to nightclubs.....nor does he aim the wrong end at himself.....as far as his music goes, I personally can''t stand the insidious unintelligible racket, but man, he is a great American,who would never act as irresponsibly as THIS idiot....Stay out of nightclubs where you have to carry a gun, dip-poop.

[downsteamjim]

Worst suicide attempt I ever heard of.

[airboatboy1]

The bullet probably bounced off his thick skull and went in his head,

[ginger20051]

For all you PRO GUN CONTROL people, this is a perfect example of why gun control would not work.
1. He did not have an NYC ownership permit.
2. He did not have a valid carry permit in any state.
3. He did not have any carry permit for NYC.
Now tell me what gun control law would have worked had it been in place??
Try him, find him guilty, sentence him to the MANDATORY three years in jail. Doing that might just have some effect.

[legacyabq]

Posted by brucestevens at 07:07 PM

The fallacy here Bruce is the idea that "gun control" is equal to "getting guns off the streets"

If even completely banned, they would continue to be on the streets..
Drugs like cocaine are illegal.. Most sensible people would agree that its legal status has not impacted its street presence. In fact, due to high profit of things illegal, it has probably increased its presence.

Exactly how would a law change the physical existence of MILLIONS of guns "on the streets" as you say, when its ALREADY ILLEGAL to carry a concealed handgun??

[legacyabq]

I want to emphasize:::

IT IS ALREADY ILLEGAL TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN
Actually, it is even worse to carry ANY gun into any liqour establishment.
Hes lucky he is not being charged with a worse offense, owing likely to his celebrity status.

[troutfisher4]

What an idiot.

[babooph]

At his age,his size & his shape -HE NEEDS A GUN ??I must need an A bomb!

[nybras]

This happens all the time with these guys - The ghetto mentality starts at the college level and just moves on into the bigtime pro league.

Gun control only works on honest people it does nothing for criminals. When they try to pass *** like that it is just another political figure grabbing headlines pretending to care.

[idnnsg]

"Burress shot himself at a Manhattan nightclub Friday night..."

Just another TYPICAL gun owner!

The truth is, you are more likely to shoot yourself or be shot by your own gun, or shoot a friend or family member, than you are likely to shoot someone else in self defense! Will the gun nutz EVER learn this lesson?

[earache4]

Now what part of a ''well regulated militia necessary for the survival of a free state'' does Burress fall under? hmmm....

[earache4]

Premature discharge? They have a pill for that....

[craigh9]

It''s time the Giants stand up to this jerk and say "take your gun and your attitude and don''t let the door hit you in the A*S*S on the way out". He absence wouldn''t even be noticed as well as Hixon is playing - CYA

[riddelup]

Don''t put this man in jail for shooting himself, put him there for doing something stupid. Protect him from himself. He obviously does not earn enough money to afford a bodyguard when he goes out clubbing. Thus he should be paid more money. How do you do what he did? I am really interested in how he did it. Put him away or give him to my team.

[usclimey]

See guns do shoot people. Did y''all read the story over the w/e about the chief of police for some town, I think in NC, who shot himself with his Glock while he was cleaning it?

[usclimey]

Will the gun nutz EVER learn this lesson?

Posted by IDNNSG

I''ve not seen any sign of it yet - that''s why their called gun NUTS.

[ken1dall]

*** laws, drug laws, tax laws, gun laws, I guess we are all criminals. The government creates more problems than it solves. Who was REALLY injured here??

[usclimey]

I know - didn''t proof. I assume "you illiterare" is what is known as a ****-take in England. Cute! LOL

[dbstevens]

I''ve had it with these rich gangster wannabes ... getting paid millions and acting like freaking idiots. Throw the book at him, he had NO business taking a gun to a nightclub. This story could have been very different...it could have been someone else hurt or killed.

This is the problem with guns...they end up in the hands of idiots. I''m glad it was HIMSELF that he hurt in this case, not someone else. But there are too many guns in the streets, in the hands of overblown idiots like Burress.

It''s also disgusting that he has so much money that he can hire a lawyer like Brafman, whose job it seems to be to keep these criminals on the streets.

People can be so disgusting.