Burress Reignites Issue Of Athletes & Guns

CBS Evening News: With A Shooting And Apparent Coverup Attempt, What Really Happened?

(CBS)  Football star Plaxico Burress is free on bail after being charged today with weapons possession in New York. Burress accidentally shot himself at a nightclub last week. Now, he could face prison time, and possibly lose a chunk of his $35 million contract. As CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports, Burress is just the latest athlete to get in trouble - over guns.

---

For the New York Giant wide receiver Plaxico Burress, his game-winning catch in last season's Super Bowl stood as the highlight of a big-play career marred by a me-first attitude, suspensions and fines.

Monday, Burress was back in the limelight, surrendering to authorities at a Manhattan police station. it's the latest twist in a bizarre shooting scandal that has set the tabloids aflame and re-ignited the issue of athletes and guns.

"Mr. Burress is a serious professional athlete in a difficult legal situation, and he intends to handle it in a responsible fashion," said his attorney, Benjamin Brafman.

For Burress, it began inside a New York nightclub late last Friday night when - believe it or not - he accidentaly shot himself through the thigh with a semi-automatic pistol.

According to published reports, Burress was carrying the unlicensed weapon for protection. The gun went off after it began slipping down the inside of his sweatpants, and Burress fumbled while trying to reach it.

A bleeding Burress then reportedly tried to cover it all up, frantically passing the pistol off to teammate Antonio Pierce and enlisting club employees not to alert authorities before checking into New York Presbyterian hospital under an assumed name at 2:45 a.m.

In the last three years, more than two dozen professional athletes have been involved in gun-related charges. Attorney David Cornwell has represented several of them.

"Certainly they find themselves in situations where there's a potential for risk, whether or not that necessarily follows to the need to carry a gun, I think that's a personal decision," Cornwall said.

Burress, who today pleaded not guilty to felony charges of criminal possession of a handgun, reportedly joked about the shooting with a teammate. But there's nothing funny about a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison, or the end of a star-crossed career.

[wintenjim]

I watched CBS this morning (the Early Show). A Boston coach (Peter Roby, I think) was castigating Burris for carrying a firearm. In the same breath he admitted that the personal danger of lethal assault was real in NYC. Roby suggested a bodyguard. Maybe a $35M NFL player can afford a personal bodyguard, but why should he be forced into that solution? And what about the rest of us who recognize the personal danger and the responsibility to protect ourselves and families, but can''t afford a personal bodyguard? The NYC handgun laws target citizens, not criminals.

[helloall34]

...We expect guys like Vick and Burress to go out and give a 110% physical performance and we don''''t give them any leeway during their leisure time? ...

Posted by Pauli67 at 10:35 AM : Dec 02, 2008
=================================

I wish people wouldn''t use "athlete math". A person can''t give more then 100%. In fact, it''s close to impossible to give 100% because of the distractions of every-day life (like relationships, family, and entertainment). To give 100% one would have to not only give 100% at the moment in question, they would have to do so during months of training, and this has likely never happened in history and will never happen.

Now, as for this idiot Burress... The man put himself in this position and his career, as he knew it, should be over. He was actually injured and unable to play but he felt good enough to be out bar hopping in the middle of the night. This is a violation of his contract. The truth is, the parity between players in the NFL is not that great, and this guy does NOT stand out. He should be dropped by the Giants immediately (regardless of the criminal charges). The law can take care of the charges (and there are a lot of charges). If guilty, he''ll be playing the rest of his career for the State of NY instead of the Giants.

[pauli67]

Burress appears to have broken laws, so he should pay the consequences. I won''t defend each particular little infraction. However I believe a lot of these laws shouldn''t even exist. Guns shouldn''t have to be registered. He didn''t hurt anybody except himself and he should be able to handle pain. The fact that he makes a lot of money is beside the point. His employer has insurance. We expect guys like Vick and Burress to go out and give a 110% physical performance and we don''t give them any leeway during their leisure time? Sorry if this offends you; many people agree with me. Estquodest.com

[rhoadie]

According to the article, "A bleeding Burress then reportedly tried to cover it all up, frantically passing the pistol off to teammate Antonio Pierce and enlisting club employees not to alert authorities before checking into New York Presbyterian hospital under an assumed name at 2:45 a.m. "

If true, this could constitute a felony conspiracy including any bar employees who agreed to keep quiet. It would involve a felony impersonation count for using an assumed identity following the comission of a crime. If he returned to New Jersey - crossing a state line - he could also get hit for felony flight.

This guy is in a world of trouble of his own making.