Say It Ain't So, Plaxico

On February 3rd, 2008 Plaxico Burress could not have been any higher on life. He was one of the heroes in the New York Giants improbable playoff run, culminating in a shocking Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. After hauling in the game winning touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining, Burress had reached the pinnacle of being a professional football athlete.

Roughly 10 months later, Burress has fallen faster than anyone could have.

On Friday, November 30th, 2008, Burress brought a loaded handgun, for which he did not have a permit, to a Manhattan nightclub. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Burress discharged the gun and fired a bullet into his right thigh. On Monday he was arraigned in a Manhattan criminal court and charged with two counts of criminal possession of a handgun and is expected to plead not guilty. If convicted Burress faces up to 3 ½ to 15 years in prison. The New York Giants have suspended Burress for the final 4 games of 2008 for conduct detrimental to the team and placed him on the non-football injury list, ending any chance of him playing in the playoffs this year. There’s a good chance Burress has played his last game in a Giants uniform.

This isn’t the first time Burress has been in trouble with the Giants as he has been fined 35 times by the organization. In this instance however, it’s all come crashing down with one giant tip of the iceberg. What makes this even more painful is that the Giants showed confidence in Burress’ abilities when they signed him to a 5-year, $35 million deal before the season opener.

On the football side of things, losing a player of this caliber will definitely have an impact on the Giants. However, the size of the impact remains to be seen. The Giants have shown the ability to be successful without Burress on multiple occasions. This past Sunday was the most recent example, when Eli Manning passed for over 300 yards without his favorite target in the Giants victory over the Redskins. The Giants have the regular season all but wrapped up, but the loss of Burress will be felt most during the post season. One of the things that makes the Giants great is when someone goes down, someone is always there to fill in and step up. In the end, Burress may miss the Giants more than they will miss him.

Stephen A. Smith, a writer for ESPN had an interesting take on Burress’ situation in his most recent column. He shows his displeasure with Burress for building on the stereotype of African-American athletes being in frequent trouble with the law. (Smith himself is an African-American).

“Instead of being the model citizen every organization hopes for in its players, Burress has followed in the footsteps of far too many players who have marked African-American athletes in all the wrong ways,” says Smith. “Right now, all anyone sees is another black athlete arrested over avoidable nonsense. I know a few people who are sick and tired of this. One of them wrote this damn column.”

Smith makes a valid argument for his case. Many African-American players over the years have had run-ins with the law. Among these players are: Adam “Pacman” Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson, and Brandon Marshall, as well as the high-profile cases of Ray Lewis, Michael Vick and O.J. Simpson. Simpson’s trial was one of the biggest cases of the last century. If today someone were to mention the name O.J. Simpson one will almost certainly first think of his murder arrest and trial. What gets lost in all the controversy is that Simpson was a fantastic player and hall of famer.

While Smith’s column contains certain truths and has the facts to back up his claims, I think it’s important to note another reason for this recurring problem. One just needs to look at the large number of African-Americans in the NFL. Roughly 70% of the players in the NFL today are African-American. Maybe part of the reason that we see these players constantly in trouble with the law is that they just represent a huge majority of the league. If things were reversed and 70% of the NFL was white, would we see the same problems? It’s tough to say. You could make the same argument for Major League Baseball and the steroid scandal.

Take a look at the Mitchell report and the players suspended over the years and you’ll find the majority of the players are white or Hispanic. That’s because they make up the majority of MLB, where black players only make up 8% of the player total. Does that make a white or Hispanic man more likely to use steroids then a black man? Once again, it’s tough to make that argument. Smith has a right to be upset, but the argument goes much deeper then simple numbers.

If Burress is indeed convicted and sent to prison for multiple years, is it fair to say that he deserved it? There is no arguing that what Burress did was foolish, in poor judgment and illegal, and he should definitely be punished for his actions. However, Burress is just one of many players in today’s NFL that own firearms for protection. Many former players have admitted to carrying one at times and say that a large majority of today’s players do as well. When someone who is of a high profile and makes as much money as athletes do, its only natural that they become a target to some.

Today players are as fearful as ever. Just over one year ago Redskin’s safety Sean Taylor was tragically gunned down and killed inside his home. Unfortunately, events like this are becoming more frequent in today’s NFL. Denver Bronco Darrent Williams was murdered in 2006, while Jacksonville Jaguar’s lineman Richard Collier sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was paralyzed this past September. Just last week, Burress’ teammate Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint.

There’s a fine line that professional athletes walk. Do you take the chance on the possibility of losing your life? Or do you do what you feel is necessary for protection, even if it might be illegal?