Football's Plaxico Burress to run comeback play?

Plaxico Burress spent two years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapons charge. But now he's out.

The former Super Bowl hero is determined to make a football comeback - and make up for his misdeeds.

"Early Show" co-anchor Chris Wragge caught up with Burress Monday at a news conference with the National Urban League, where he pledged to work against gun violence.

Plaxico Burress' new gig: Anti-gun violence work

In 2008, the New York Giants entered Super Bowl XLII as heavy underdogs to the undefeated New England Patriots. Trailing by four points, with less than a minute left, Burris, a wide receiver, made a game-winning catch to bring the Super Bowl Vince Lombardi trophy home to New York.

Burress stood at the pinnacle of his sport. But tragically, his ride at the top lasted just nine months before his world came crashing down.

In November of that year, while at a New York City night club, Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg with an illegal firearm. A firestorm of controversy ensued, and he was charged with criminal gun possession. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years behind bars.

Burress told Wragge, "I was angry at myself for, you know, for a long time, for putting myself in the position to have that happen to me, for taking that risk."

Wragge asked if Burress was changed by the experience.

"You grow, you learn, you learn what's most important, and you know that's family," Burress said.

During that time, his wife, Tiffany, gave birth to their second child, and many suspected his nine-year playing career was over. All he could do was count the days until he'd return home.

Burress said, "It's a day that you dream of when you first get in, you know, for those 621 days that I was in there that's all I could constantly think about."

Burress has partnered with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the National Urban League to help educate the public -- particularly the African-American community -- about the dangers of carrying a weapon.

"I wanted to be responsible for my actions and be accountable for what I did," Burress said. "I just wanted to use what happened to me, my story, my testimony, to try and help reduce it and help people out along the way."

The 33-year-old father of two is also attempting a professional comeback. He hopes prospective teams will judge him for the man he is now and put aside the mistakes he made in the past.

Wragge asked Burress, "What do you tell them, so that they know, 'You know what, no more problems here?' This is Plaxico on the straight and narrow."

"Don't judge my future by my past," Burress replied. "And to just grow and to just become better, and not just, you know, be a football player, but to be a champion in life."

Wragge said on "The Early Show" that, although there's plenty of speculation over which teams may be interested in as a free agent receiver, Burress and his agent can't discuss the matter with anyone due to the National Football League lockout. However, Wragge said, a likely destination could be the Philadelphia Eagles. Wragge added Tony Dungy, a former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is mentoring Burress. Dungy also mentored Michael Vickn who made a successful comeback after a stint in prison for dog-fighting.