There’s a new alias in the world of NFL players.  The infamous moniker of “Ron Mexico” has been replaced by a far less tough-sounding alternative.

Per the New York Post, Giants receiver Plaxico Burress sought treatment for his accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday night under that name:  “Harris Smith.”

The Post also reports that Burress spent 90 minutes after the shooting making calls in an effort to find a hospital where the emergency care would be provided in a discreet manner. 

He settled on New York-Cornell, where he gave the phony name and said the incident had occurred at an Applebee’s.  Hospital workers recognized that the patient was actually Plaxico Burress, and the hospital failed to report the gunshot wound, despite the clear requirements of New York Penal Law Section 265.25.

Per Section 265.25, ”Every case of a bullet wound, gunshot wound, powder burn or any other injury arising from or caused by the discharge of a gun or firearm . . . shall be reported at once to the police authorities of the city, town or village where the person reporting is  located  by . . . the  physician  attending or treating the case; or . . . the manager, superintendent or other person in charge, whenever such case is  treated in  a hospital,  sanitarium  or other institution.  Failure to make such report is a class A misdemeanor.”

So, basically, the doctor who treated Burress and/or the manager in charge of the facility at the time Burress arrived could end up being Plaxico’s cellmate.

Meanwhile, Burress a/k/a Harris Smith has surrendered to authorities on Monday regarding the shooting.  He did not speak to the media as he walked into the police precinct, and he was not visibly limping less than three full days after putting a bullet through his own thigh.

The charges are expected to be felony possession of a firearm and felony reckless endangerment.

But to the extent that Burress is feeling sad about his current situation, he didn’t show it on Sunday night.  According to the New York Daily News, Burress was “laughing” about the state of affairs on Sunday night.

“He called me laughing and grinning,” Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said.  “He is doing fine.  He is feeling good.  I called him and made a few jokes about the situation and he laughed — which is what I wanted to hear.”

Remorse and contrition might be better emotions to project at a time when the facts and the law seem to be stacked against Plaxico.  His primary audience at this point is the prosecutor who’ll decide whether to throw the book at Burress or cut a deal that lets him walk away with a slap on the wrist to go along with the scar on his thigh.

Though some of our readers think that Burress will skate because of his fame, we think there’s a chance that his fame could do him in.  Really, what better way is there to ensure that the citizens of New York realize the consequences of illegally possessing a firearm than to prosecute a high-profile defendant on such charges to the full extent of the law?

The widespread deterrent effect that flows from a criminal trial against a celebrity is extremely valuable to law enforcement.  Martha Stewart’s case showed us all that lying to the cops is not tolerated.  Barry Bonds’ case demonstrates that perjury isn’t a standard practice whenever someone wants to avoid the consequences of cheating in sports, or any other misconduct they’d prefer to conceal.  Scooter Libby’s prosecution proved that the concept of “all’s fair” doesn’t apply to politics.  And Mike Vick a/k/a Ron Mexico’s case undoubtedly resulted in the abandonment of dogfighting operations in multiple jurisdictions.

If New York genuinely wants to keep guns from being carried into public places by persons who lack the appropriate permission to do so — and likewise to ensure that the guns don’t go off and injure or kill innocent bystanders — the best way to make it happen might be to make an example out of Plaxico Burress.