At this point, everybody's heard about the "Giant Idiot" Plaxico Burress. But just in case you haven't, here's a recap of the bizarre story. On Friday Nov. 28, Burress was in a New York nightclub with a loaded, unlicensed gun. At one point, he felt the gun start to slip down his sweatpants (perhaps someone should have told Plaxico about the existence of belts ... or maybe just fashion; honestly, what kind of superstar professional athlete wears sweatpants to a nightclub?) and when he reached for it, he wound up shooting himself in the leg. He was taken to the hospital, where it was deemed that his wound was not too serious, and he was released later that night.
But although Plaxico's injuries themselves aren't life-threatening, the damage to his life has already been done. Not only has he been fined and suspended by the Giants for the rest of the year for conduct detrimental to the team, but he also faces a minimum of three-and-a-half years in prison -- and a maximum of 15 -- for unlawful possession of a firearm. Somehow, Burress has pled not guilty to weapons charges, but I suspect the bullet that came out of his leg might be pretty harmful to his case. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spoken publicly about this issue more than once, and he seems determined to make an example out of Plaxico.
So, as a Giants fan, how do I feel in the wake of all this? Strangely, I don't know.
On the one hand, this seems like the apex of stupidity for a man who does a lot of stupid things. Burress has always had talent -- he broke a pile of records at Michigan State before being drafted eighth overall by the Steelers in 2000 -- but he's never been known for his character or responsibility. Since joining the Giants in 2005, he's been fined more than 35 times for a total of over $300,000, and that's only for being late to meetings.
Plus, at this point, the Giants don't really need him. He's fourth on the team in receptions and second in yardage and touchdowns, a far cry from last season when he led the team by a large margin in each category. And yet, the G-men are off to their best start ever at 11-1. Eli Manning has simply matured as a quarterback and tossed away his 6-foot-5 security blanket (six Giants have at least 26 receptions), making Plaxico that much less important. And that's not to mention the fact that Domenik Hixon has emerged as a legitimate playmaker, ably replacing Burress on several occasions during the year and leading the Giants in yards per catch.
But then there's another side to it.
It's not like Plaxico has had the best influences in his own life. He didn't meet his father until he was 21, and his mother, with whom he was very close, passed away when he was just 22. After her death he began living with five of his childhood friends, all of whom are now "dead or in jail," according to Burress. A few months later, Plaxico was arrested for public intoxication, and he realized something needed to be done. He moved away from his friends in an attempt to reform, but they continued to do everything they could to pull him back, including writing him letters from prison. But still, Burress managed to put the past in the past and focus all his efforts into football. In fact, New York owes a great deal to him.
He turned the Giants from a 6-10 team into an 11-5 squad in just his first year. He's led the team in every important receiving category every year since his arrival in 2005, and he's also kept it from missing the playoffs during that time period. In 2007 he didn't practice once during the season because of a yearlong ankle injury -- but he still managed to suit up as the Giants' No. 1 receiver in every game. Oh, and did I mention he caught the game-winning pass in the Super Bowl?
Maybe he's never been the best character guy, but it's not like he's ever been Jeremy Shockey, either. With the exception of his holdout last year (and considering the year that he had, the money that other top-end receivers received and the non-guaranteed nature of NFL contracts, I don't blame him), he's always attended training and mini-camps, even when they weren't mandatory. You can see him joking with Eli on the sidelines before a game, actively trying to maintain a positive relationship with his quarterback, and his impressive stats have always been a complement to the Giants' success, not the other way around.
So where does this leave us? Like I said before, I don't know. Plaxico obviously made a very poor decision, but I don't think that should necessarily define him or ruin his career. He's had a life that most of us can't comprehend, and he's become familiar with hostile environments. Can anyone really blame him for carrying a gun? And even if you think what he did is detestable, isn't he at least as deserving of a second chance as anyone else?
Then again, there's no reason he should be exempt from the law. He's a professional athlete and nothing more: If he broke the law, he should have to pay the consequences like anybody else. And that's exactly what it looks like he'll have to do.
Giving the eulogy at his mother's funeral, Plaxico said that the three lessons she taught him in life were to never take anything for granted, to treat others how you want to be treated and that God never puts anything in front of you that you can't handle. I just hope he can handle what's coming next; it won't be like any football defense, any media scrutiny or any challenge that he's faced before.
As a fan who appreciates all he's done for my team and who refuses to judge him before the judicial system does, I wish Burress all the luck in the world. He's going to need it if he values his freedom.
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Dave Heck is a junior majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
