Earlier today, it was believed he would plead "not guilty" during his arraignment hearing and thus drag the legal proceedings at least into next year. But since there was pretty much no way to convince a jury that he did not shoot himself in the leg with an illegal hand gun, he really had no choice but to cooperate and cut the best deal he could. A conviction would have meant a mandatory 3 1/2-year sentence under New York law, and as many as 15 years when combined with other charges.

More updates as we get them....

Plaxico Burress Pleads Guilty, Agrees to 2 Year Prison Term [1010 Wins]
PLAXICO BURRESS PLEADS GUILTY [New York Post]

Burress and teammates Antonio Pierce and Ahmad Bradshaw actually began the night at Head Quarters, a "jiggle joint" (really, New York Post?) on the West Side of Manhattan. Police have tracked down security camera footage of them drinking, eating from a buffet dinner laid out for the club's workers, stealing free gropes from the ladies, and generally being lousy guests.

Burress, 31, already was known at the club for being a "cheap," customer, and "very rude, conceited, full of himself," sources said.

"He's the most unpopular celebrity that's been there," said another source, adding he routinely paid strippers the minimum $20 for lap dances, in contrast to other big-name customers, who fork over as much as $200.

On the other hand, Pierce, a married linebacker, is well-liked there. On Nov. 28, after arriving at Head Quarters, the Giants were met by a trio of women who are not club employees, sources said. Sources said Pierce originally told authorities there were no women with the Giants that night.

They went upstairs, where club workers were enjoying dinner, and soon began drinking what ended up being two bottles of Patron tequila, which they were not charged for, sources said.

As if the illegal firearms possession, lying to police, and obstruction of justice weren't enough, now everyone in the entire New York strip club world knows that Plaxico Burress is a lousy tipper who eats with his hands. I'm pretty sure that's the kind of reputation you want to avoid if you going to be spending a lot of time in that scene. But I guess that also explains the sweatpants.

PLAX'S NAKED BOOTLEG: GIANT A STRIP-JOINT SLOB [NY Post]

Here are some of the reviews that have been left in the last week:

Dr. Abisaab was quick to respond when I showed up to the hospital with a hole in my leg caused by an accidental shooting at Applebee's this past weekend. She was going to report the incident until I showed her the gun that caused the hole in my leg. That changed her mind. Good thing, could yuo imagine the trouble I would be in if someone found out about my unregistered handgun. Oh, wait, nevermind.

Doc is top notch. I didn't have to wait too long, was brought in the back door, bandaged and on my way before I could change my sweatpants. I truly appreciated the help.

Anytime I shoot myself at 2 in the morning....Dr. Abisaab is going to be my first call

There aren't very many at this time, but I have a feeling that will change. I'm not saying that any of you would be involved in something like this, but all I'm going to say is before you do anything, ask yourself ... "What would Iracane think?"

Josyann Abisaab, MD [Vitals]

You see, Burress used to have a gun permit—in Florida—but he lives in New Jersey, so even if he wanted to register his gun in New York City, he can't. The city doesn't allow handgun permits to non-residents and refuses to honor concealed carry permits issued by other states.

Also, according to Kopel, "In New York City, carry permits are issued, but to applicants with some form of political clout rather than on the basis of his or her need for protection." I don't know what that means, but he doesn't elaborate (assuming Burress lived in NYC, wouldn't he have the necessary clout to obtain one?) and then admits that New Jersey gives out even fewer permits than New York, so this whole discussion is pointless, because under no circumstances would Plaxico Burress ever be allowed to carry a handgun in Mike Bloomberg's New York. And this is bad for America.

It appears that he put the unholstered gun in the waistband of his sweatpants, and when it slipped, he grabbed for it, accidentally hitting the trigger. To make matters worse, according to press accounts, he was seen drinking and may have been consuming alcohol — which all firearms safety training (including the class he would have been required to take for his Florida permit) absolutely forbids for people handling guns. And of course Mr. Burress's handgun should have been holstered to prevent unintentional movement of the trigger. Fortunately, his negligent discharge did not harm anyone else. [Emphasis added]

See? Just because Plaxico passed a firearm safety class in Florida and then violated every single rule of firearm safety in the span of thirty seconds before shooting himself in the leg in a public space, why should the government be able to deny him his right to defend himself? New York City is violating the constitution (maybe), so they should be forced to violate the constitution and do whatever New Jersey tells them to even though Jersey would never tell them to do that in the first place.

That seems somehow ... off. But what do I know? I'm just a blogger.

Free Plaxico Burress [WSJ]

That executive is Ronnie Barnes, the team's vice president of medical services (i.e. head trainer), who Pierce apparently keeps on speed dial for just such emergencies. Barnes told Pierce to go to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, because it was next door to the Hospital for Special Surgery, which is where Dr. Mark Drakos was on call. He's an orthopedic surgeon who has worked with the Giants before.

According to the Giants, Drakos examined Burress and then called Barnes himself "to make certain he (Barnes) was aware of the situation." What no one seems to have an answer for, however, is why the other doctor, Josyann Abisaab, who has no affiliation with the Giants and does not work at the hospital (though she did have "privileges" there) showed up unannounced, uninvited (according to the team), began treating Burress and then admitted him to the hospital under a name she knew to be fake. Oh, and Barnes showed up at the hospital too, and had to be pretty well aware of what was going on there. Now investigators want to talk to everybody, because none of their stories seem to match (or make much sense.)

That part of the story becomes much more hilarious when you read this alumni profile of Barnes, who is not a doctor, but has been a trainer with the Giants since 1980, after getting his master's degree from (yes!) Michigan State.

He is considered a lifesaver by some, including Giants assistant coach Pat Flaherty, who told the New York Times it was Barnes who prodded him to undergo tests that uncovered a cancerous tumor. “If he had waited until the end of the season he wouldn’t have made it,” Barnes says.

Barnes, 54, cares so deeply about the bodies of the Giants that he’s come to represent the team’s soul.

But we're not done yet! There is also talk about Burress' wife, Tiffany. She drove to Pierce's house the next day to pick up the illegal gun and take it back to her home, even though she is a freakin' lawyer and if anyone involved in this entire stupid mess should have known better, it would have been her.

Oh, and the Player's Association is working their magic by pretending that Plaxico's four-game suspension was somehow unjustified. They're filing an appeal. I know they kind of have to do this stuff, but ... come on, guys.

Finally, the New York Post is saying that Pierce plans to take our advice and testify against Burress in front of the grand jury (he doesn't have much choice, really) sparing himself from gun charges and virtually guaranteeing that Burress goes down. (Or pleads out, which is what's going to happen anyway.) Did you get all of that? Because I'm exhausted.

Police probe Giants for delay of game in Plaxico Burress shooting [NY Daily News]
TEAMMATE WILL TACKLE BURRESS [NY Post]
From Britney to Plaxico: Hospital gives special treatment to celebrities [NYDN]
Healer of Giants [East Carolina U.]
Pro Athletes Should Listen To Don On Guns [Indy Cornrows]
NY Post's Steve Serby's Standards = Low...Pics of Antonio Pierce's Neglected Dog [Bob's Blitz]

In case you missed it last night, Burress was suspended by the New York Giants and placed on the non-injury football list, costing him about $27 million in unpaid salary (plus fines.) The fact that he is not on an NFL roster may also make it easier for the prosecutors to hit him with that very large book they are preparing to throw.

Pierce on the other hand is still practicing and will presumably be playing on Sunday, barring any developments that are almost certain to happen. I think people generally sympathize with him, because he was just trying to help his dumb friend survive his own dumbness. He's kind of like Matt Damon in "Rounders." Maybe he should challenge Mike Bloomberg to a game of No Limit for all the marbles. (Has Bill Simmons already plumbed this metaphor?) He is supposed to meet with the DA "in the near future," but he still hasn't done that and if he doesn't soon, he could be making even more trouble for himself.

One person who is definitely in trouble is the doctor who was mysteriously summoned to New York-Cornell Hospital (possibly by a Giants official) to treat one "Harris Smith" and then "forgot" to report the gunshot victim to police. She's been suspended for what might be termed "a complete lack of medical ethics." Other doctors tend to frown on that stuff.

Our advice to Pierce? Throw Plax under the bus. You can't save his career, but you can try not to destroy your own in the process. Plus, that Matt Damon became Jason Bourne and that was pretty awesome, wasn't it?

COPS IMPOUND PIERCE'S SUV [NY POST]
"Loyal to a fault, New York Giants' Antonio Pierce learning a tough lesson" [Star-Ledger]
DOC BENCHED IN GIANT BOO-BOO [NY Post]
The Plaxico Burress Shooting, As Interpreted By Dorm Kids [MouthPiece Sports]
List: Side Projects for Plaxico Burress [Zulkey]