OPINION: Huge fine & NFL suspension, but Plaxico Burress should not go to jail!

This may be a very unpopular opinion, but I don’t think that Plaxico Burress should be forced to do jail time. If you don’t know the story, the guy who caught the winning TD pass for the New York Giants in their 17-14 Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots was carrying an unregistered handgun in his pants during a visit to the Latin Quarter nightclub on November 28. The gun accidentally discharged and Burress shot himself in the leg. Fellow Giants player Antonio Pierce drove him to the hospital and dropped off the handgun at Plax’s house and neither of them reported the incident to the police.

As a little background, I am a gun-owner. It is licensed, and I got more than a little training as a kid. I grew up in a household where we hunted and fished. In our family room, my Dad’s gun rack was right above the TV. He kept 2 shotguns, 2 rifles and a pistol (with the ammo somewhere else of course). I’ve been shooting since I was about 12-years-old, am a member of the National Rifle Association, and as a kid a won a Junior Pro Marksman certification from the organization.

This is all a far cry from what Burress did. Nobody should ever own a gun without it being registered. Nobody should ever carry a gun without a “carry permit.” What Plaxico did was stupid and completely inexcusable. And that’s why a New York Grand Jury indicted him on two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and one misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment in the second degree today. He now faces 3 1/2-15 years in prison when he faces a judge and jury.

There is a huge mitigating factor here. Burress plays in the NFL, and the league is, for lack of a better term, gun-crazy. Former NFL player Jay Williams (Dolphins) estimates that as many as 85% of NFL players own guns. And, there’s a reason to be scared.

*On New Years Day in 2007, Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by incident in Denver.

*In September of 2007, Dunte Robinson, a cornerback with the Houston Texans, was the victim of a home invasion robbery as he was tied up with rope and duct tape, but was unharmed in the attack.

*Safety Sean Taylor from the Redskins was murdered at his home in Miami in November 2007. It is believed to be a botched robbery attempt.

*Offensive lineman Richard Collier of the Jacksonville Jaguars was shot 14 times last September while waiting outside the apartment building of a girlfriend. His left leg was amputated.

*In the early hours November 25 of last year, just 3 days before the Burress incident, fellow Giants wide receiver (and former Trojan) Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint outside his home.

Professional athletes are targets. In football, it is more dangerous than in the NBA. It’s easy to keep 15 NBA guys “in the tube” (arena to bus to hotel to arena, etc.). NFL rosters are huge. Guys are out there and living with the rest of us.

And, Plax’s “co-workers” (the rest of the NFL) are all afraid that they’re going to be robbed at a gas station or have their homes invaded (even though they live in gated communities) or just randomly gunned down. This may be a bit irrational, but NFL players know the stories Darrent Williams, Dunte Robinson, Sean Taylor and Richard Collier. Plus, teammate Steve Smith (a good guy, I can attest to that) was robbed at gunpoint in his front yard just 3 days before Burress shot himself in the foot (leg actually).

Pro athletes are rightfully paranoid about becoming the victim of a violent crime. Burress clearly didn’t intend to shoot anybody. He’s a harmless dummy, and I am of the strong belief that prison is meant for violent criminals. Plaxico Burress just doesn’t qualify. He’s dumb and reckless and somebody could’ve been hurt, but in the end he only hurt himself. Can anybody argue that he will, in some way, be rehabilitated by spending time in prison? He will come out of jail more dangerous than he is now. The state of New York should hit him with an enormous fine, give him multiple thousands of hours of community service work, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should suspend him for a full season.

My position, by the way, was the same with Marion Jones. She did lie under oath, but prison for 6 months? That’s not right. Same goes for Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens. I’m in favor of enormous fines, but no jail time.

Comments

[WorkHomeUnion]

I am about to write an article on player press about the exact same subject - Plaxico - and I agree with you 100% .. I came across your article while looking for an image of Plax ...

The state's contention is that the gun's not registered, yada yada, he could have killed someone, yada yada, but you could say the exact same thing about the millions of people across America who talk on their cell phones while driving. And many of those millions do actually kill people, everyday, because they were talking on the phone while driving.

And for a high ranking city official to comment on the case from the very beginning, from his comment alone, the case should have been dismissed.

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Nobody should ever own a gun without it being registered. Nobody should ever carry a gun without a “carry permit.”

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And that’s why a New York Grand Jury indicted him on two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and one misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment.

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