Burress officially out for the year
Sports Network | December 02, 2008
East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The New York Giants suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress four games and placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list, officially ending his season.
"As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being," said Giants president John Mara. "This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates."
Burress recently surrendered to authorities and was arraigned on a pair of weapons charges stemming from an accidental shooting Friday night. The wide receiver was shot in the right thigh and spent time at a New York-area hospital.
This marks Burress' second suspension of the season, having missed the October 2 game against Seattle after being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.
"The decision we made today regarding Plaxico's roster status was based on the examination of Plaxico by our team physician," general manager Jerry Reese said. "(Team physician) Dr. Rodeo believes Plaxico would be out at least four- to-six weeks with the gunshot wound. I had two conversations with Plaxico today, and it was obvious that he understood the magnitude of this situation. He knows that we are here to support him and help him get healthy."
For the season, Burress has 35 receptions for 454 yards with four touchdowns.
"When you lose a player of Plaxico's ability, it is incumbent that everybody step up and fill the void," head coach Tom Coughlin said. "In the last two seasons, this team has done an outstanding job of that. We made it clear to (Plaxico) today that we are here to support him in any way possible."
It's been a whirlwind few months 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, his earlier suspension and injury.
