Plaxico Burress Testifies Before the Grand Jury

NFL News - July 29th, 2009 - Written by Bruce

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress testified before a grand jury, on Wednesday, for over two and half hours. Burress is dealing with the aftermath of shooting himself, in the thigh, at a Manhattan night club, last November. He is now on trial being charged with criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, Burress could face three and half years in prison. The former Super Bowl star has plead not guilty, and is free on $100,000 bail. Today marked the first time that Burress has spoken publicly about the shooting in question.

Burress' attorney Benjamin Braffman said his client wanted to address the grand jury. Braffman said that Burress did not use the gun to commit a crime, and that he was the lone victim of the shooting. Burress was hoping to get some compassion from the grand jury by bravely speaking to them, with his lengthy testimony today. Earlier this week, The New York Post reported that Manhattan District Attorney, Robert Morgenthau, is insisting on jail time for Burress. This comment led Burress' attorney to say that the district attorney's comments could prejudice the grand jury proceedings. Outside the courthouse, after his testimony, Burress addressed reporters saying, "I was truthful, I was honest, and I'm truly remorseful for what I've done and for what happened".

Plaxico Burress is now 31 years old, and his future in the NFL is definitely in question. Just two seasons ago, he caught the dramatic game winning touchdown, in the 2008 Super Bowl. This past April, the New York Giants released Burress even though he was arguably their biggest play maker. As of now, Burress is not a part of any NFL team, as many teams are wary to sign him with all of his legal troubles. Even if he is able to avoid jail time, which seems unlikely, Burress is not guaranteed to easily make it back into the league. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that Burress could face disciplinary action under the league's personal conduct policy. Not far removed from being haled as a Super Bowl hero, Burress now has to face some serious charges which very well may land the former football star in prison.

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