Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress pled guilty to felony weapons charges in New York this morning. Burress, who desperately wanted to avoid jail time, previously turned down the two-year plea deal that Manhattan D.A. Robert Morgenthau had put on the table. After being indicted by a grand jury earlier this month, Burress was facing a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three and a half years. Rather than risk more jail time, Burress pled guilty and took the deal.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted to throw the book at Burress, who accidently shot himself in the right thigh last November when he brought a concealed gun into a night club. Burress didn’t have a valid New York permit for the gun, and that’s a big no-no. At the time, Bloomberg said that Burress would be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.” Bloomberg told Burress that if convicted, “you will serve a minimum of three and a half years behind bars – no exceptions.”
Bloomberg wanted to send a clear message in the Burress case. In July 2007, Bloomberg touted the fact that his administration “succeeded in pushing through a law that gives New York the toughest penalty in the country for carrying an illegal loaded handgun.” So no matter what, it was going to be tough for Plax to get out of this. He made the right move to accept the deal.
But does the punishment fit the crime? Michael Vick ran an illegal gambling ring and tortured a bunch of dogs. Donte Stallworth got paid, got drunk and killed a jaywalker with his car. Plaxico killed a pair of his own pants while partying in a club.
Sure, Burress isn’t likely to serve the full two-year sentence, and yes, packing heat to go clubbing on the mean streets of Manhattan is pretty stupid, but isn’t killing another dude worse than accidently shooting yourself in the leg?
Whether the sentence was too harsh or not, Burress will serve his time and get this incident behind him. When he’s done with prison, some team will give him another shot chance.
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