Plaxico Burress, a free agent wide receiver following his April 3 release from the NFL team New York Giants, appeared briefly in court this week as part of the on-going criminal case against him. Burress shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub in late November of last year and faces up to three and a half years in prison on felony weapons charges. The judge on the case ruled Monday that the NFL team player’s trial will be adjourned until September 23, thus opening the door even further for Burress to play somewhere in the NFL this season.
Who would be willing to take on such a liability? Well, according to some sources there are actually several teams looking at Burress. The NFL teams New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears have all expressed interest, with only the Jets making public their formal inquiry to Burress’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Granted, Burress is a serious responsibility for any NFL team that decides to sign him—his criminal case could drag on for months, if not years—but Rosenhaus and the player’s lawyers are optimistic that the case won’t go to trial until at least 2010, paving the way for Burress to play with an NFL team this year and deal with his legal woes after the season. And not many teams are willing to turn away the opportunity to pick up a veteran 6-foot-5 receiver of Burress’ caliber and reputation. Only time will tell if Burress will be afforded the luxury of a multi-million dollar distraction and one more season of freedom before facing judge and jury.
