Should He Stay or Should He Go? A Giant PerPlaxing Question

The saga of Plaxico Burress, the New York Giants’ star wide receiver, takes another downward turn this week. Not only has the troubled star been charged with criminal possession of a weapon—a firearm—but reports now reveal he neglected to pay his car insurance premiums.  In May of this year, the un-insured Burress rear-ended a woman who subsequently filed a lawsuit against him.

These off-the-field matters add concern to his status with the team.

Since catching the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLII, Burress has been a constant distraction to the New York Football Giants.  

He refused to participate in this season’s minicamp because no progress had been made regarding his new contract. The Giants fined Burress for the incident.  His failure to show up to a September practice resulted in a two-game suspension.  Burress responded by saying he didn’t lose any sleep over it.  

Despite Burress’s absence, the Giants kept winning and have secured homefield throughout the playoffs.  

One thing is for certain. 

No matter what the Giants do on the field, they will do it all without Plaxico Burress.  

In fact, his season is over.  Following the recent Manhattan night club shooting where Burress accidentally shot himself, the Giants not only suspended Burress for the rest of the regular season but also, placed him on the non-football injury list.  This prevents Burress from participating in the playoffs.

Clearly Burress has decided to put himself ahead of the team.  This is obvious given his statements and actions. 

This begs the question: what will the Giants do regarding Plaxico Burress in the off-season? 

Regardless of the season’s outcome, the Giants need to determine whether or not Plaxico’s behavior warrants him a spot on the team.  In other words, the Giants need to return to the fundamentals of sportsmanship—a team is not made up of one player, but rather eleven men performing as one.  Moreover, the 11 members must place the team and the team’s image first.

The New York Giants need to take a stand against Burress’s destructive behavior.  They should follow the commissioner of football’s lead—any behavior detrimental to the league will not be tolerated.  Plaxico must go!