Ex-NFL player Plaxico Burress begins his Two Year Prison Sentence (1631 hits)
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress surrendered to authorities Tuesday to serve a two-year prison sentence on a weapons charge, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said.
Plaxico Burress enters court in Manhattan in March of this year.
Burress was also sentenced to two years of post-release supervision with permission to travel for business, according to district attorney spokeswoman Tracy Golden.
Burress, 32, pleaded guilty in August to a weapons charge stemming from a shooting incident at a nightclub last year. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon and agreed to serve two years under a plea agreement.
The former New York Giants wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg with a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol he was carrying in his waistband. The incident occurred November 29, 2008, in the VIP area of the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan.
A teammate, linebacker Antonio Pierce, drove him to a hospital and arranged to have the pistol delivered to Burress' New Jersey home, according to a statement from the district attorney's office August 3.
The district attorney also sought charges against Pierce, but the grand jury did not indict him.
Burress was not licensed to carry a pistol in either New York or New Jersey.
No one, including employees of the New York Presbyterian Hospital and the NFL, called the police to report the gunshot wound, as required by law. One hospital worker was suspended after the incident.
Burress became a hero to New York Giants fans in the 2008 Super Bowl when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning with 35 seconds remaining in the game.
The following season, Burress' career with the Giants was marred by a series of incidents. He was suspended by the team in early October for missing a practice, and later that month was fined $45,000 by the NFL after arguing with a referee and throwing a football into the stands.
