Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress is staying in prison.
The New York Department of Correctional Services said today that it has denied Burress’s work release application, meaning he will continue to serve his two-year sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in which he accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Burress, who went to prison in September, can appeal the decision on work release within 30 days. He can reapply for work release in July.
Prosecutors opposed the application when Burress first applied for work release last month.
Bloomberg would have whoever signed off on the work release program decapitated.
He should be in jail for what he did(he broke the law), but he should not be treated like a violent criminal.
By work release, do you mean free to seek work in the NFL as a receiver? Perhaps once he gets out of jail, he could be eligible for a team’s Ed Bloch Courage Award for going to prision, then get out, and get a million dollar contract to play football again??? Wonder if there is some precedent for that? Wonder if coach Tony will have another chance to help rehabilitate this thug’s public image.
WHY? Honestly WHY should he be in jail?
Who the hell cares?
He accidentally shot himself in the leg. Big friggin deal.
Meanwhile you have scum of the Earth Michael Vick winning “Courage” Awards and Plaxico can’t get an effing work release.
Unbelievable.
@ Robert P
He should and is in jail because he broke the law and comitted a felony. If you dont understand that there is no hope for you. He COULD have killed an innocent person out enjoying themselves for the night. He is lucky to have only shot himself. I do agree that Vick should still be on trial for dog fighting since he hasn’t faced those charges yet.
I did not agree, but understood the hard onslaught to get a conviction or guilty plea in this very high profile case.
Why continue to hold him to a higher standard now though? If he was eligible for work release he should have gotten it unless he has been a bad prisioner. He had no record and there is pretty much a 0% of a repeat offense here.
Free Plaxico Burress.
Let’s see what happens to Arenas… he had 4 unlicensed guns in a place they were prohibited and he drew one on a teammate. If he gets less than plax something is wrong.
Bloomberg threw justice out the window to make an example of plax and get his name in the headlines. Totally unethical to make the statements he did prior to burress’ conviction.
Nice to know we are paying $35k/yr to keep a non-violent offender locked up. Is that justice to the tax payers? Man our judicial system is a mess.
Being a punk is bad enough, being a punk with a loaded, unlicensed weapon in a public place that serves alcohol & that weapon goes off…now that’s jail worthy.
He’s a bad guy that got what he deserved.
“WHY? Honestly WHY should he be in jail?
Who the hell cares?”
Totally. And also, you really shouldn’t get a DUI if you get caught driving drunk but don’t cause an accident. I mean, if no one gets hurt, then there really isn’t a crime, right?
mbbrazi says:
January 7, 2010 2:05 PM
Unfortuneatly there are people that can’t get it through their thick heads. The same loser dumbass people that think Michael Vick didn’t do anything wrong think Plaxico Burress didn’t do anything wrong. What the hell is wrong with you people, didn’t you have a dad and some discipline in your house?
———————————
Exactly. I’m a huge Eagles fan and I’m not against Michael Vick, but I’m against what he did. Vick went to prison, did what he had to do, and served his term. He’s now out and should be allowed to continue in the profession of his choosing, as long as someone is willing to pay him to do it (which they obviously are). When Plax’s term is up, in my opinion, he’s free to sign with whoever he wants, and should someone want him, bully for him. He did what was required under the law, and is now past it.
I’m fine with the “do the crime, do the time” mentality but I do have a few questions about this work release.
1) Like someone else already asked, would this be work release to potentially play in the NFL, or would he have had to find some sort of “no show” construction job like Vick. (Ok, maybe I’ve watched too much Sopranos)
2) What types of offenders are normally granted or denied work release? I’m sure there are white collar offenders whose crimes actually had victims that have been allowed out for work release.
It just seems that they are really trying to use Plax’s celebrity to emphasize how serious they are with their new gun laws.
“Totally. And also, you really shouldn’t get a DUI if you get caught driving drunk but don’t cause an accident. I mean, if no one gets hurt, then there really isn’t a crime, right?”
You are so right! I say, ’2 Years Imprisonment for ALL DUI Arrests!’
This really does not make any sense.
He could of shot somebody. I get that. BUT HE DIDN’T!!!
They are making a example out of this man and it is a shame. You got Cheney shooting people in the face. But he shot himself in the leg. WOW
No question he was guilty, but I agree with the others above who think he’s being made an example of because of his celebrity status. Which only lends credence to the idea that the justice system is capricious, inconsistent, and selective, which shouldn’t be a message they want to reinforce.
Especially when you’ve got currently-active NFL players who’ve tortured and killed animals, run illegal racketeering operations involving the mob, been involved in murder, and beaten up their girlfriends.
What Plaxico did was wrong and dangerous. But regardless of what _could_ have happened, what _actually_ happened was that he only hurt himself. Meanwhile, a bevy of players who’ve hurt others–to a terrible degree, in some cases–are being paid millions of dollars and are stars on TV every week.
Today’s NFL, folks. Thank you, Roger Goodell.
To bad figure either the egals or the cow pukes would have added him there list of fellons
Convick to drops back throws to inmate buress
Bunch of Dumbasses on this site, as usual. The fact that they didn’t kill someone with a gun or a car while driving DUI is not the issue, but the potential to keep doing it until you do, that’s OK then according to your idiot thinking. So only if/when you get caught when a fatality is committed, right? The law is there to act as a deterrent you dumbasses, wake the f up.
Goodell has ruined the NFL. First he wouldn’t let Reggie Bush wear number 5 so Bush was not able to donate 5% of his jersey income to the victims of Katrina.
Now Goodell won’t let Plaxico get a work release.
The NFL is turning into a joke.
Our current system isn’t able to provide a work release that would benefit Plaxico by making him think about what he did that was wrong.
Picking up garbage on the side of the road while humiliating for a multi millioanaire sports celebrity would do nothing to show him the light.
For example, putting him to work in a physical rehab center for wounded vets might show him that fire arms are no joke and that he is lucky he did not kill or maim someone.
So, let him sit in prison and do some time (he’ll probably get released early anyway to make room for incoming, more violent criminals).
Just wondering….
If you think Plax’s punishment is unfair, then what do you think the penalty should be for going into a public place with a loaded, unregistered gun?
If a person was caught in a party you were attending (or your kids were attending) with a loaded, unregistered gun that went off, what do you think the penalty should be? If the penalty was only a few months then wouldn’t criminals avoid registering guns? And if they did wouldn’t it be even more difficult for the police to hunt down murderers, criminals,etc.?
I honestly don’t think 2 years is too heavy. The policy rationale behind a law like this is to punish people who enter public areas with loaded weapons. In no way is Plax being punished for shooting himself. He did not break a law that says “2 years for shooting yourself in the leg”. He broke a law that made it a crime to be in public with a loaded, unregistered gun. Had he shot someone else he would’ve faced more than 2 years.
As far as comparing Plax to Vick, it really is not a fair comparison. The carrying of loaded weapons is more dangerous to the public than dog fighting. I realize that dog fighting is bad, but worse case scenario is that it leads to the direct death of dogs. Loaded weapons obviously can kill innocent people. The value of a human is clearly greater than that of a dog. Therefore engaging in dog fighting should not be deterred as heavily as carrying loaded weapons. Personally, I would rather my neighborhood be filled with dog fighters than people who carry loaded, unregistered weapons in public. I think both types of people should face jail time, and I’d rather have both leave me neighborhood, but a loaded gun can kill my family members. And if someone gets mad (see Crittenton) it can lead to actual death in a moments notice.
So both guys are bad, but I don’t think we should ever defend someone who carries loaded, unregistered weapons as carelessly as Plax did (in his sweat pants). Seriously, I’m worried to carry my wallet in my sweat pant’s pockets. Dude was carrying a loaded gun.
@bledgreen
I wonder if you would have the same stance if Michael Vick raped a child instead of tortured/mutilated dogs.
Now, before you scream “it’s not the same thing”, obviously it isn’t, however, it takes the same sick mind to brutally harm a creature for your own enjoyment.
(and note to the naive: if you don’t think Vick’s bloodlust is partially sexually motivated, you’re fooling yourselves…there’s a MILLION ways to gamble, you only kill the dogs in the manner of Vick if you ENJOY it)
You missed the point JimmyY so maybe you shouldn’t be calling anyone a dumbass. The point the other poster made about the DWI is that if you get arrested for that in a situation where there was no accident and no one is hurt you don’t get 3 years in jail. Do you get punished? Of course and no one is arguing Plax shouldn’t be punished.
But why should his punishment be more severe than your average joe that gets the same conviction? Most 1st offenders don’t get 3 years with no work release.
Bottom line, he was guilty and should be punished to the same degree as any other 1st time offender. It’s a mockery of our judicial system to punish someone different because they are a celebrity.
“Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress is staying in prison.”
…Good!
@JimmyY
Laws and mandatory sentencing don’t deter criminals, but Plax is no criminal. Plax got the mandatory sentence WITH NO ADJUDICATION WHATSOEVER (i.e., make the punishment fit the crime).
If an honest someone who had the same concealed-carry permit from Florida as Plax (which allows a permit bearer to carry in 32 states) assumed that he could carry in NYC and he got pinched, he, too, would have to serve three years. That’s mandatory sentencing.
Bloomberg has an agenda that he wants to push, and Plax was the biggest fish he caught. Afterall, he wants to bring charges to gun-store owners in Virginia for his problems in NYC.
“Laws and mandatory sentencing don’t deter criminals, but Plax is no criminal.”
So carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm into a nightclub is not a crime in NY?
“If an honest someone who had the same concealed-carry permit from Florida as Plax (which allows a permit bearer to carry in 32 states)”
The permit was expired, therefore it allows the permit bearer to carry in 0 states, including Florida.
But yeah, if you forget that he carried an unregistered firearm into Manhattan, then was so irresponsible with it’s handling that he discharged the weapon inside a nightclub and shot himself, Plaxico Burress is no criminal. Oh wait, you have to forget that he pled guilty to criminal charges, too.
Plex is a good guy. He deserves to be out of jail with his family. Unlike a lot of other screw ups in the league he didn’t harm anyone but himself.