Burress surrenders to authorities
Sports Network | December 01, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress surrendered to authorities on Monday and is expected to be charged with an apparent weapons possession after accidentally shooting himself.
Burress, who spent a night in a hospital after suffering the gunshot wound on Friday, reported to the New York Police Department's 17th precinct without speaking to the media. It had been reported that no warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Benjamin Brafman, Burress' lawyer, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Sunday that he was told Burress planned to plead not guilty to criminal possession of a weapon.
A New York Post report stated that detectives and police confiscated the handgun from Burress' home on Sunday, a gun that he reportedly was not legally permitted to carry. The report states that he also faces a possible reckless endangerment charge.
Burress apparently went to a club on Friday with teammates Antonio Pierce and Derrick Ward and was allowed to bring in a gun after going through a metal detector. The gun became loose later in the night and fired a round, and Burress was accidentally shot in the thigh. The Post reports that Burress went to the hospital, but didn't report the shooting to the police.
Reports on Saturday stated that the wound was not life-threatening, as Burress had already been ruled out of Sunday's win over the Redskins due to a hamstring injury. On the season, Burress has 35 receptions for a team-high 454 yards with four touchdowns.
Pierce, who played in Sunday's 23-7 victory over Washington, chose not to answer several questions he was asked about the situation. He declined to say whether he has a lawyer and said he was "fine where I'm at" when asked about his concern for his own situation.
New York coach Tom Coughlin said that he spoke to the players about the situation and that the players had concern for Burress' situation, but that the focus of the team was on the Washington game and that the wide receiver's future with the team will be discussed at a later date.
It's been a whirlwind season for Burress, who signed a contract extension just before the team's season-opener against the Redskins in September. He went on to register 10 catches for 133 yards against Washington, but his numbers have dropped considerably in the face of double teams, a suspension and injury.
Burress was suspended one game in October for violating team rules, held out of the starting lineup against Pittsburgh for missing a treatment session and fined by the league for verbally abusing an official.
