From the Washington Post:
Not surprisingly, a New York grand jury indicted Plaxico Buress on weapons charges Monday.
Mr. Burress will most certainly be sent to jail. It's just a matter of how long he'll have to stay. Clearly, there is no need to debate the New York State laws; they are what they are and Plaxico broke them. This is an open and shut case for the prosecution.
Looking ahead and considering his infraction, should he be able to play in the NFL again? I ask you, "How do you punish stupidity?"
Plaxico Burress is not a criminal, he was deficient in his decision-making. It was not smart to carry a loaded weapon without proper registration. It seems dumb to shoot yourself in the leg and even more so to attempt a cover up. In an ill-advised move, Plaxico turned down a plea agreement early on which might have served less time, instead he faces a possible two years in prison.
The fact that someone can be sent to jail for shooting themselves is asinine enough, but once he was in that situation he proved once again that athletes sometimes think they are above the law. He should ask Michael Vick how that thought process worked out for him.
Just as Michael Vick was conditionally reinstated after an offense far greater, in my opinion, than that of Plaxico Burress, I don't see any reason why Plax, after he is finished making license plates, should not be allowed to play.
Burress is being punished by our backward legal system for being stupid, arrogant and naïve; not for being a criminal.
Almost every team in the NFL has questionable characters on their team. Some are even convicted felons. No matter how badly Roger Goodell wishes it to be, this simply isn't a league of angels and saints.
Plaxico made a mistake. A mistake that he will no doubt be overly punished for and I think that should be punishment enough. There is no need for the NFL to shoot a man in his leg while he is down (pun intended.)
What say you all? Does Littal make a good case for Plax or is there something he's missing?