Nearly two years ago former New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress entered an upstate New York prison for illegally firing off his gun (into his own leg) in a Manhattan nightclub. Burress' image took a major beating and, now that he's out of prison, he's going down a similar path that Michael Vick used to rehab his image.
Plaxico Burress Speaks Out On Gun Violence
Burress, like Vick, has struck up a relationship with Tony Dungy to help his transition back into society. Step one is partnering with the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence and speak out against the dangers of guns.
“If you’re going to carry a weapon, make sure you’ve done everything properly,” he said, “that you’re obeying all the laws or the rules of that state, and you know fully how to operate the weapon if you choose to carry one.”
Vick got with Dungy and worked with the Humane Society to speak out on the dangers of dog fighting. It sounds like Burress is taking similar steps to address gun safety after his situation.
We’ll see how it works for Burress. In Vick’s case, it worked well as his football career once again took off and he’s been able to avoid off-the-field trouble.
When Vick exited prison, I didn’t think someone at his age coming off of two-plus years out of the game could come back and compete in a sport that’s predicated largely on speed. I was wrong on Vick and time will tell how Burress responds on the field.
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