A good FanPost on this popped up recently, and I'd like to highlight some things that will, likely, get mentioned in light of Plaxico Burress shooting himself out of football, essentially. Unless you've lived under a rock, you know Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself this past weekend at a NY nightclub. He then tried to hide the injury, the weapon, and his real name when he eventually checked into a hospital. NYPD charged Burress with possession of an unlicensed firearm. The next day, the Giants suspended him and placed him on the inactive roster.
He will not play again in 2008, and his career with the Giants is over.
Make no mistake, this is a career-threatening f@&k up. No team will ever give Plaxico Burress the kind of money he just signed for with the Giants. In fact, several teams will indeed pass on him because they simply do not want to deal with yet another dumbass headcase. Earlier this year, Burress was on top of the world, having scored the game winning TD in the Super Bowl to help beat the then-undefeated Patriots. Now, he is garbage.
So, the eventual question many will ask is How is Plax's incident any different from what happened to Marvin Harrison? Well, here are the answers:
- Plaxico Burress discharged an unlicensed handgun in a close, public space. Marvin Harrison didn't shoot anyone. He didn't fire a gun at any one person, according to police.
- Plaxico Burress tried to hide the fact that he'd done something wrong. Marvin Harrison cooperated fully with police and local Philly DA's office.
- Plaxico Burress was charged with a crime. Marvin Harrison was never charged. He wasn't even a suspect.
- Plaxico Burress' gun was unlicensed. The gun owned by Marvin Harrison that was used to shoot at a felon causing trouble at Marvin's bar was licensed and legal.
- And, most importantly, Plaxico Burress is a complete moron, stupid enough to actually SHOOT HIMSELF IN A PUBLIC SPACE the day after Thanksgiving. Marvin Harrison is one of the greatest WRs ever to play the game of football, and he is certainly not stupid enough to shoot himself in public and then try to lie about it.
There. Hope that clarifies things for everyone. So, if some schmuck (like, perhaps, the ignorant person known to the sports world as Sal Paolantonio) starts trying to make comparisons between these two incidents, we bloggers and Colts fans will kindly throw the facts right back in Sal Pal's cheese steak-looking face.
Side note: The Giants are finally rid of the three dumb schmucks that held them down for years: Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, and Plaxico Burress. All three had worlds of talent. All three were Grade A douchebags. Character over talent will win you football games. We see example of this time and time again, yet teams still shower idiots like Burress and Shockey with loads of cash. NFL owners really are THAT dumb, folks. The Giants are a better team without Burress, and it is obvious. Stable, consistent players like Hixon, Smith, Boss, and Toomer will step up for Eli and the Giants will not miss a beat.