Plaxico Burress, who vowed to resume his NFL career after serving a prison sentence on a gun charge, will get his second chance with the New York Jets.
Burress, a former star receiver and Super Bowl hero for the New York Giants, reached an agreement in principle on a one-year deal with the Jets on Sunday, the NFL team said.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 35 seconds remaining in the 2008 Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 victory over New England and spoil the Patriots’ bid for an undefeated championship run.
But Burress walked into a Manhattan nightclub in November of 2008 with a gun tucked in the top of his trousers. The gun slipped down and a shot was fired as he tried to grab the gun, wounding Burress in the thigh.
Burress had no permit to carry a weapon in New York. A permit to carry the weapon in Florida had expired.
In August of 2009, Burress pleaded guilty to attempted criminal weapons possession and was sentenced to two years in prison, but his release in June came three months early for good behavior.
He spoke in recent days with Giants coach Tom Coughlin and with his former team, Pittsburgh, before opting to join the Jets.
The Jets now hope he can rebuild his career as Michael Vick did with the Eagles in the wake of his imprisonment for his role in a dogfighting ring.
Not long after they announced the agreement, the Jets were taking pre-orders for replica Burress jerseys on their Web site.
Burress won’t practice with the team until at least Thursday, when the Jets will get a chance to see how much work Burress needs to do to be ready to play in the NFL for the first time since 2008.
Burress has 505 catches for 7,845 yards and 55 touchdowns in his NFL career with the Steelers and Giants.
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