Giants’ Plaxico Burress Accidentally Shot in Thigh (Update2)
By Nancy Kercheval
Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- New York Giants wide receiver
Plaxico Burress was accidentally shot in the right thigh during a visit to a Manhattan nightclub.
Burress, 31, allegedly was carrying the gun that discharged, wounding him while he was at the Latin Quarter nightclub in the Radisson Lexington Hotel in New York. The incident occurred two days ago, a few hours after the Giants said he would be sidelined for today’s game against the Washington Redskins by a hamstring injury in the right leg.
Burress, who retained New York defense attorney Ben
Brafman, will be interviewed tomorrow by New York police,
ESPN.com reported. Brafman told the Web site that his client is “fully cooperating” with authorities.
Burress held a license to carry a weapon in Florida until May, when it expired, the New York Daily News said. He was not, however, licensed to have a gun in New York or New Jersey, it said.
“We are investigating. We have no victim yet,” said New York Detective Brian Sessa. “No victim has reported any crime.”
Police attempted to talk to Burress at his home in Totowa, New Jersey, the Daily News reported. A woman denied them entry.
Burress was having drinks with some friends, including teammate
Antonio Pierce, when the handgun started to slip down his pants, the Daily News said, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation. When he grabbed at the gun, it discharged.
Getting the Facts
As Pierce tried to control the bleeding, he reprimanded Burress for carrying a weapon, the people told the newspaper.
Burress refused to allow his companions to call an ambulance, the people told the Daily News. He went to New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell about 2 a.m., and was released about 12 hours later.
Giants co-owner
John Mara and General Manager
Jerry Reese said today before the game in Landover, Maryland, that they won’t decide what to do about Burress and Pierce until the investigation by the police and league is completed.
“Whatever they ask us to do, we’re going to do and we’ll wait and see what determination they come up with,” Mara told reporters. “After that, we’ll act accordingly.”
Reese added that neither he nor Mara had spoken with Burress since the shooting and they didn’t know how the injury would affect his career.
The NFL “is working with the Giants to determine the facts,” said league spokesman
Greg Aiello in an e-mail.
Drew Rosenhaus, Burress’s agent, didn’t return a call for comment.
Player Statistics
Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Burress was barred from practice for two weeks in October and sat out a game for missing a meeting and failing to contact the Giants. He was originally fined two weeks’ pay, or about $235,000, before reaching a settlement with the team that cut the amount in half.
The NFL also fined Burress $45,000 last month for verbally abusing an official during a win over San Francisco.
Burress led the Giants with 70 catches for 1,025 yards during the 2007 season, when he played most games with an ankle injury. He also caught the winning touchdown pass in the final minute of the Giants’ 17-14 victory over the New England Patriots in last season’s Super Bowl.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: November 30, 2008 14:16 EST
Two opinions:
1) What a dumb@ss! At least he did not shoot his d*ck off
2) Who cares? The GIANTS are still taking Washington to school
I guess the GIANTS have to decide on keeping him once he gets out of jail... Maybe he can room with Michael Vick