By Matt Valentine
Make no mistake about it Plaxico Burress is an extremely talented player…he’s also quickly becoming a distraction in the Giants lockeroom.
Burress standing on the sidelines, which is where he'll find himself this Sunday.
Plax spent much of the off-season posturing (with the aid of his agent Drew Rosenhaus) for a new contract after a year in which he hauiled in a career high 12 TD and caught the game winning TD in the Super Bowl. So what did Burress do? He sat on the sideline for most of the off-season, training camp and pre-season with a supposed “ankle injury”. In fact, Plax was just refusing to play until he got what he thought he deserved.
And how did the Giants star wideout return the favor to the team that granted him his wish and gave him a lucrative contract extension? By missing practice the Monday following his teams overtime win over the Cincinnatti Bengals on Sunday and not even bothering to phone in and tell the team why he was not in attendance until later that evening.
Burress was dealing with a “important family matter”, what exactly that matter was, was not disclosed, but it should be noted that Burress has been involved in a number of domestic altercations since joining the Giants in 2004.
The Giants and Burress recently settled on the terms of the suspension levied by the team after Burress appealed the original suspension through the NFLPA. Burress was originally fined $235,249 or two weeks pay, but that fine was cut in half to $117,000, though he will still be suspendend for this Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The decision to suspend Burress was made by both Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese, and has received support from nearly every player in the Giants locker room.
“I can’t speak for Plaxico, but as a team it’s indicative of our coaches trying to make a statement as far as every guy on this football team is equal and I think (Tom Coughlin) got his point across,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “I hope he got his point across.”
Giants players are not the only ones who hope Coughlin made his point loud and clear to Burress, Giants fans also have to be concerned with the receivers seeming discontent with practicing.
Many felt that Burress was a warrior last season for playing through bothersome ankle and knee injuries, but recently there has been some grumbling around the league that any player that sustained similar types of injuries would have at least attempted to practice or would have been forced to do so by the team.
Now the Giants will be forced to play without their leading receiver heading into Sunday’s contest against the Seahawks and the team and fans are praying that his absence doesn’t cost the team its perfect record.
