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Football News from NFL.com
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has initiated a review of the illegal firearm charge against former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, opting not to wait until the legal process runs its course before taking action. Continue reading on NFL.com
Football News from NFL.com
The New York Giants released Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress on Friday, a little more than four months after the talented but troubled wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York nightclub. Continue reading on NFL.com
Football News from NFL.com
A gun possession case against New York Giants star Plaxico Burress was adjourned Tuesday until June unless he reaches a plea agreement with prosecutors to resolve the matter sooner. Continue reading on NFL.com
Football News from NFL.com
The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Tuesday challenging the suspension and fine handed Plaxico Burress by the New York Giants after the receiver accidentally shot himself in a nightclub more than a week ago. Continue reading on NFL.com
Yet another instance where a union or players association is a bad thing IMHO. A guy shoots himself and is facing criminal charges - the NFL has every right to suspend the player based on the behavioral guidelines set forth by Roger Goodell.
I “hope” that the judge who reviews this tells the NFL Players Association to go stick a fork in their a** and get out of the damn courtroom. The whole appeal is a waste of time and money - perhaps that $$ could be used to help save some of the 10% of NFL staff being laid off by the end of the Super Bowl.
Plaxico Burress isn’t playing the rest of the season, so why should he get paid? If I don’t show up for work, I don’t get paid.
Too much money and too many lawyers…
Football News from NFL.com
Plaxico Burress turned himself in to police Monday morning in New York City and was expected to plead not guilty to criminal possession of a weapon, his lawyer said. Continue reading on NFL.com
In odd NFL news of the week, Giants WR Plaxico Burress reportedly shot himself in the leg over the weekend in a NY club. Besides the obvious jokes and ridicule that Plaxico will be facing for shooting his own damn self w/ a handgun, Burress will also have several criminal charges as well. Burress was carrying an unlicensed handgun in a club where you’re definitely not supposed to be carrying a gun at all. Then, he apparently shoots himself in the leg, no doubt while trying to continually position the gun - it is not clear if he used a holster or any other device to hold the gun, so I assume he was just goin’ gangsta.
Stranger than the shooting, however, might be the notion that Burress is going to plead “not guilty” to the charges. Unlicensed handgun…check. Gun in a club…check. Shooting handgun in club…check. Consipiring to hide handgun…check. Moron…check.
Teammate Antonio Pierce (again “reportedly”) hid the gun somewhere to help Plaxico stay out of trouble. However, as a big NFL star in a nightclub w/ a gun going off, I’m sure it wasn’t too hard for others to quickly point the finger.
The New York Giants were fine on Sunday, despite the unnecessary publicity and focus that Burress suddenly brought upon them. It looks more and more like the Giants will dump Burress at season’s end - if not before. Sure, they just signed him to a new contract and gave him a big signing bonus, but his criminal actions could be held against him (I think) to recoup some of that signing bonus money, since he only made it through part of the year. If the Atlanta Falcons can do it to Michael Vick, I’m sure the NY Giants will make an attempt as well.
Football News from NFL.com
The chances of Plaxico Burress making another winning touchdown catch this weekend at the University of Phoenix Stadium are questionable at best. Continue reading on NFL.com
The latest news Sunday morning is that Plaxico Burress could play against the Arizona Cardinals. While certainly not a 100% sure thing at this point, fantasy owners would likely take their chances w/ Burress since there are few other quality wideouts available these days.
The New York Giants and star receiver Plaxico Burress are just going to have to come to the understanding that more fines are going to come & neither really cares at this point. Burress has made it clear that he could care less about the fines for being late, etc., although surely missing an entire game check is no laughing matter.
A mostly unapologetic Plaxico Burress rejoined the New York Giants today, noting that he didn’t lose any sleep after being suspended for one game and incurring a six-figure fine. Continue reading on NFL.com
On the other side of the fence, the Giants are trying to maintain control of the team and show that no player is above the rules - kudos to them for standing firm. Coach Tom Coughlin is notorious for holding his players accountable for every action. You need to be 10 minutes early to a meeting or you’re late in Tom’s eyes. Certainly, he is not alone in this attitude, but prior to last year’s Super Bowl run, his methods for running a team were seriously questioned.
Updated 7/22/08
Brian Urlacher is the latest NFL player to “re-work” an existing deal before the first one is up. This new deal adds to the existing 9-yr deal he was still under (until 2011), to the tune of $18 million - $6 million signing bonus. Urlacher is now signed w/ the Chicago Bears until 2012… wow, a whole year? Thanks for the commitment.
These incidents are ridiculous - Brian cannot argue that he’s “underpaid” when he already has a $57 million contract that he’s supposed to be honoring. The timing is also key, considering the Bears reported to training camp today.
Original Story 6/17/08
Recent developments involving two Pro-Bowl receivers and their “contract disputes” have me questioning how much power athletes have been given. In today’s sporting world, it seems like a player who’s unhappy w/ his current pay, can basically force his team into renegotiating his salary and signing bonus.
The two players who have been mentioned most recently, but are certainly not the only players griping, are the New York Giants’ Plaxico Burress and the Arizona Cardinals’ Anquan Boldin. Both players are certainly worthy of their current contracts in my opinion and possibly more, but if they wanted more, they should have negotiated that amount from the get-go.
Each of these players has 3 years remaining on their current contracts - THREE YEARS - and they’re already throwing fits about how little they’re being paid. Btw… both the Cardinals and Giants are near the bottom in terms of total team salaries (for 2007); the Giants had the lowest payroll in the NFL. (Source: USAToday 2007 Team Salaries)
Here is a breakdown of how these two players stand up, in terms of base salary & signing bonuses, on their own team, as well as for their positions:
Plaxico Burress
Anquan Boldin
Ok, so Plaxico is paid like a Top 10 wide receiver while Boldin is certainly underpaid. Among the less quality receivers making more money than Boldin are: Chris Chambers (#1 paid receiver - are you kidding me?), Roy Williams, Deion Branch, Marty Booker, Nate Burleson, David Givens, Amani Toomer and Justin McCareins. I’m not listing all of these wide receivers to dog on them for getting a good paycheck, but give me a break… how many people would pick one of these players ahead of Anquan in a fantasy football draft?
Where I think the rub is from these players, is when they look at the NFL Draft and see how well the 1st round picks are being paid, and then compare that with their own salaries, they’re getting chump change. The NFL rookies have no experience, no accolades to speak of, etc., but they continue to receive 8-figure signing bonuses and guaranteed money. Look no further than the Atlanta Falcons recent signing of quarterback Matt Ryan - 6 yrs for $72 million - $34.75 of it guaranteed. Not only did they sign him for a huge guaranteed amount, but they also paid him more than the picks before him and more than the previous year. Most players won’t make $34.75 million in their entire career, let alone get that guaranteed without even taking a snap on the field.
Ultimately, the over-spending owners are causing these problems and forcing unnecessary grief on themselves. If I was a year-to-year Pro-Bowl caliber player and a rookie came in and made 10x what I was making, I would probably ask for a new contract as well. At the same time, an NFL contract is a contract, one that should be upheld between both parties involved.
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