PLAX, PIERCE FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES

As previously expected, Giants receiver Plaxico Burress is in big trouble. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that Burress likely will be arrested on felony weapons charges in the coming days after shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan club with a weapon that he wasn’t properly licensed to carry. As not previously expected, Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce could face charges of his own for allegedly taking the gun and stashing it in New Jersey after the incident. (This would have been a great Playmakers episode if the show wasn’t so unrealistic in its depiction of the lifestyles of pro football players.) Per Vacchiano, police became aware of the incident only after Giants employees “reached out quietly” to report it. A representative of the team was planning to retrieve the gun and surrender it to police. Translation: The New York Giants will do nothing at all to shield Burress from the consequences of his conduct. In fact, the New York Giants seem to be more than willing to help the authorities take Burress off their hands. As to Pierce, his attorney told police he’d cooperate in the investigation in exchange for a promise that he won’t be charged. But why would police need Pierce’s voluntary cooperation? Burress has a .40 caliber hole in his leg that wasn’t caused by a stapler, and his employer is actively assisting the investigation. Pierce has no leverage here, and his best bet is to cooperate fully and then hope for lenience. For Plaxico, the law seemingly prevents much lenience. As we explained on Saturday night, illegal possession of a firearm in New York City results in a mandatory 3.5 year prison sentence, without exception. And as to anyone who thinks that the Poindexter effect might prompt police to look the other way, New York City ain’t Surry County, Virginia. As one police source told Vacchiano regarding Burress, “He went for his gun and fumbled it. And now it will cost him.”