Season is Officially Over for WR Plaxico Burress: The Giants yesterday placed WR Plaxico Burrress on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List, officially ending his season, including playoffs. In addition, the Giants fined Burress and suspended him for four games for conduct detrimental to the team “for multiple and repeated violations of club rules.” In addition to the fine, the Giants do not have to pay Burress for the remainder of his $3.5 million 2008 salary ($823,529 according to press reports). What is not known is the status of the $1 million in signing bonus money that Burress is due on December 10.
Burress wounded himself in the right leg Friday night in a Manhattan nightclub when his unlicensed firearm accidenally discharged. Burress has since been arrested and charged for two felony violations. Burress could face jail time and additional punishment from the NFL. His future with the Giants beyond the 2008 season is not yet known either.
Yesterday, before being placed on the NFI List, Burress met individually Giants’ President and CEO John Mara, General Manager Jerry Reese, and Head Coach Tom Coughlin. He also underwent treatment for his strained hamstring and gunshot wound. He underwent an MRI and an examination by one of the Giants’ team physicians.
“As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico’s health and well-being,” Mara said. “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.”
“Our concern all along has been for Plaxico the person, not Plaxico the player,” said Giants’ Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch. “We are here to support him and his family as he recovers from his wound and deals with some serious issues.”
“The decision we made today regarding Plaxico’s roster status was based on the examination of Plaxico by our team physician,” said Reese. “Dr. Rodeo believes Plaxico would be out at least four to six weeks with the gunshot wound. 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.”
“When you lose a player of Plaxico’s ability, it is incumbent that everybody step up and fill the void,” said Coughlin. “In the last two seasons, this team has done an outstanding job of that. We made it clear to Plax today that we are here to support him in any way possible.”
The team said it would fill Burress’ roster spot on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the status of MLB Antonio Pierce appears to be still up in the air. Press reports continue to circulate that Pierce is the one who removed Burress’ gun from the scene of the incident and that the gun was stashed first in Pierce’s vehicle and then his house. Press reports also say Pierce assisted Burress in attempting to find a hospital that would not report the injury to police. The matter is still under police investigation. Police impounded Pierce’s vehicle yesterday.
Giants Sign Safety to Practice Squad: Though not official, The Star-Ledger is reporting that the Giants have signed S Travonti Johnson to the Practice Squad. Johnson was signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2007 NFL Draft, but waived in mid-August that year. He has been out of football since that time.