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Two years in prison wasn’t long enough for Plaxico Burress to learn his lesson. The lesson to be learned wasn’t “make sure you register your gun in NYC”, but it was grow up and loose the sense of entitlement. I found out today he clearly didn’t learn.

We all know Plaxico Burress’ story. Plaxico goes into a club with gun. The gun slips down his sweat pants(why are you in the club with sweatpants) and Plaxico shoots himself in the leg. I understand taking a gun in the club. Many athletes are targeted, especially black athletes. It still doesn’t make what Plaxico did right, but I get why he felt the need to have it on him. Then after the incident, Mayor Bloomberg gives Plax the business and makes an example out of him for having an illegal gun in his possession. Then, we say bye bye to Plaxico for two years.

It’s great to have Plaxico back in public society and even better to see a team give him a chance to play football again. And then —Plax had to go fuck it up. Plaxico had a Beanie Sigel moment in a June interview for Men’s Journal that’s currently available on newsstands.

Here are some quotes from Plax,

On New York Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin’s reaction to his shooting incident

“After my situation happened, I turned on the TV, and the first words out his mouth was ‘sad and disappointing,’

“I’m like, forget support — how about some concern? I did just have a bullet in my leg. And then I sat in his office, and he pushed back his chair and goes, ‘I’m glad you didn’t kill anybody!’ Man, we’re paid too much to be treated like kids. He doesn’t realize that we’re grown men and actually have kids of our own.”

On Coughlin in general

“He’s not a real positive coach. You look around the league, the Raheem Morrises and Rex Ryans — when their player makes a mistake, they take ‘em to the side and say, ‘We’ll get ‘em next time.’ But Coughlin’s on the sideline going crazy, man. I can’t remember one time when he tried to talk a player through not having a day he was having.”

On Eli Manning not visiting him in prison

“I was always his biggest supporter, even days he wasn’t on, ’cause I could sense he didn’t have thick skin. Then I went away, and I thought he would come see me, but nothing, not a letter, in two years. I don’t want to say it was a slap in the face, but I thought our relationship was better than that.”

On how NYC Mayor Bloomberg handled his incident

“The way Bloomberg treated me was totally wrong, stacked those charges so high I had to go to jail. I was a human pincushion; they were like, ‘Yeah, we finally got you, mother——’” he said. “On the cover of the New York Post, it said ‘GIANT IDIOT!’ and I’m thinking, ‘Damn, I went and gave ‘em what they wanted. I’m just another gun-toting, famous black athlete.’ ”

On his time in prison

In jail, “they treated me like a f—— axe murderer. 23-hour lockdown, noncontact visiting, and only a Bible to read,” Burress said. “Nobody deserves to live like that, man.”

On the Fans that “turned their back on him”

“What are you doing now?” he said. “You still mad at your job? You still angry about your life? ‘Cause I’m back living my life and enjoying my family while you’re still doing the same thing.”

On the Giants front office during the 2007 season

“It was hurtful that they didn’t have the courage (after the season) to admit they told me not to practice all year,” Burress said, specifically mentioning general manager Jerry Reese, according to the Men’s Journal article.

“They let the media tear me apart, saying I was dogging practice, that I wasn’t a team player, all this sh–. The players thought I was pissing on ‘em, and coach Coughlin hated it because he was out of the loop: The orders came from upstairs. And meanwhile, he’s on the sideline cursing me out ’cause I got a ball punched out against Green Bay. I just stared at him like, ‘Are you out of your fu—– mind? I got a separated shoulder and can’t run!’ ”

Today when reporters asked him about the Men’s Journal piece

“For me, there just comes a time when you want to get things off your chest and you just speak about it at that time and put it behind you,” said Burress, adding that he was “just being honest.” “I met with everybody over there (with the Giants) and I think everything went well. We had some good conversations, closure on the situation that happened with me, and everybody over there at that time. And I thought that everything was as good as it probably could have went.”

When Mike Vick got out of jail he was contrite, kept his head down and kept it moving. Maybe it was because he wasn’t thrust into a starting QB role and had to sit for a year. Things have kind of come easy to Plax since leaving prison. He was signed about as soon as he left prison and he got to stay in New York and go to the Giants rival.

Through no fault of the penile system or the NFL, it makes no sense to punish a child and then go right back and reward/un-punish the child. Plaxico sort of got rewarded/un-punished. Now, the NFL shouldn’t have punished him extra nor should have any team that signed him. But that fact that his road back has been so easy could explain his current attitude.

I understand Plaxico’s feelings toward Mayor Bloomberg, because had it been anyone Bloomberg was affiliated with in any way shape or form they would have just got probation or something. They most certainly wouldn’t have gone to jail for two years. But Plax’s shots at Eli and Coughlin are uncalled for. He committed the crime. It wasn’t like he was dying, head coach and quarterback knew Plax was going to live a normal life. Hell, Plaxico looked Coughlin in the eye after the incident in Coughlin’s office. I’m sure the head coach could see that Burress wasn’t hurt, so of coursed he’s going to skip Plaxico’s sympathy moments and curse him out. Burress was the Giants #1 receiver. Coughlin stays on the hot seat in NY and Manning is always under media scrutiny. Plaxico made their jobs harder, so they were pissed and had every right to be.

The way I look at it is, if you don’t care why the hell should we? Meaning, if Plaxico didn’t care enough about the team not to take the gun in the club then the team shouldn’t really care about him since he wasn’t seriously hurt. If he really feared for his life and felt the need to carry a gun in a club, hire a bodyguard.

That’s all I got,

Ricky Writer

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