Giants Give Plaxico the Axe

The New York Giants have released wide receiver Plaxico Burress 4 months after he shot himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub, the New York Daily News reports. “We hung in there as long as we could in hopes that there could be a resolution to this situation other than the decision we made today to release Plaxico,” said GM Jerry Reese. “We are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise.”

The Giants' about-face came just 3 days after Burress appeared in a New York courtroom in connection with the charges against him—two counts of criminal possession of a loaded and unlicensed weapon, one of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3½ years in prison. Daily News sources say the prosecutor wouldn't agree to a plea deal unless it included some jail time.
(More Plaxico Burress stories.)