Plaxico Burress suspended by Giants 2 PAGES

Plaxico Burress suspended by Giants, done for remainder of football season PAGE 1/1

BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Plaxico Burress' season is over. His Giants career may be over, too.

The defending champions slammed their Super Bowl hero Monday when they suspended Burress for the final four games of the regular season for "conduct detrimental to the team" - his second such suspension this season. He was also placed on the "non-football injury list" due to the self-inflicted gunshot wound in his right thigh, which means he cannot return when the playoffs begin next month.

It also means he will lose the remainder of his $3.5 million salary - $823,529 - and the Giants may try to withhold the $1million payment of his $4.25 million signing bonus he is due to receive on Dec. 10. He has also been fined an undisclosed amount by the team that sources say has already fined him "dozens" of times. They are allowed to fine him up to one week's pay or $205,882.

Also, according to a team source, the Giants may consider trading him or cutting him during the offseason, so they can sever ties with the trouble-making playmaker who caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII. He's in the first year of an incentive-laden five-year, $35 million contract, but if he is cut before June 1 he would count for only $4.4 million in "dead money" against the 2009 salary cap.

That's an "expensive, but affordable," amount, according to a league source.

The Giants had no official comment on Burress' long-term future Monday, but the decision to put him on the non-football injury list allows the Giants to table that decision until after their Super Bowl title defense is done.

"As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being," Giants co-owner John Mara said in a statement. "This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates."

There could be still more remorse for the 31-year-old Burress. The 6-5 receiver is still facing 3-1/2 to 15 years in prison if he is convicted on the two counts of criminal possession of a weapon he was charged with on Monday. And even if he's not convicted, he is being investigated by NFL security, according to a league spokesman, and the league could hit him with a suspension or fine for violating its personal conduct policy.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is still investigating the incident. "This is an active law enforcement investigation," he said. "And our focus is on cooperating with the NYPD." The NFL is also investigating linebacker Antonio Pierce and running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who were both present at the shooting Friday night. Pierce in particular could be vulnerable to a suspension since police sources say he took Burress' unlicensed gun from the scene.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2008/12/02/2008-12-02_plaxico_burress_suspended_by_giants_done.html

(Page 2 of 2)

Burress was informed of the first part of his punishment around 3:15 p.m. Monday, after being shuttled between Giants Stadium and a Manhattan hospital where a Giants doctor examined him for the first time since he accidentally shot himself Friday night. In a statement released by the Giants, GM Jerry Reese said that Dr. Scott Rodeo determined that the injury would keep Burress out 4-6 weeks.

"The decision we made today regarding Plaxico's roster status was based on the examination of Plaxico by our team physician," Reese said. "I had two conversations with Plaxico today, and it was obvious that he understood the magnitude of this situation. He knows that we are here to support him and help him get healthy."

Burress - who spent the day at the stadium without his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, and without his high-profile agent, Drew Rosenhaus - also met with Mara and Tom Coughlin after he received treatment for both his hamstring injury and his gunshot wound. He wasn't informed of the decision until his second meeting with Reese, after he returned from the hospital.

Five minutes later, Burress drove out of the stadium without comment.

Of course, much more went into the decision to suspend Burress than just his health. He has been a thorn in the side of the Giants almost since the moment they signed him to a six-year, $25 million contract on March 17, 2005. Since then, he's been benched twice, suspended without pay and fined repeatedly for behavior that the team said Monday included "multiple and repeated violations of club rules."

Meanwhile, Burress - who had a spectacular regular season in 2007 (70 catches, 1,025 yards, 12 touchdowns) - tailed off in production this year. He had just 35catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns. And in the three games he missed, due to suspensions and injuries, the Giants went 3-0 and scored 104 points.

Domenik Hixon has usually replaced Burress in the starting lineup and will likely take his place there for the remainder of the season. Hixon has 26 catches for 373yards and a touchdown.

The Giants said they will likely fill Burress' roster spot today when the team holds its first practice of what might be the post-Burress era. At the very least, the Giants will now have to defend their Super Bowl championship without the man who helped them clinch it 10 months ago.