The sorry tale of Plaxico Burress reached its inevitable conclusion this week when the former NY Giants wide receiver pled guilty and agreed to a prison sentence of 2 years (20 months with good behavior). Burress has become the latest poster child for ego-driven, unrepentant, NFL head cases, following in the well-worn tradition of Terrell Owens and Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.
Let's review the story. Plaxico Burress made his name in the NFL because of his combination of height, speed and fearlessness. He capped his career by catching the last-minute winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII on his patented fade route to the corner of the end zone. He then extracted a contract extension that gave him a 5-year $35 million deal beginning with the 2009 season. So far, so good.
Then trouble hit. First, he gets suspended for the Oct 5 game for missing a treatment session. Then on Friday evening, Nov 28, he and teammate Antonio Pierce went to a nightclub with Burress tucking an unlicensed loaded pistol into his waistband. What could possibly go wrong? Well, just about everything. The gun slipped, discharged, the bullet hitting him in the leg. Off to the hospital, suspension, arrest, plea deal, 2 years in prison, contract voided.
And yet, the NFL has indicated that he will be eligible to play again in 2011. So, will his career simply fade to black...or is there another corner fade in his future?
