Burress May be Granted Work Release
Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has reportedly applied for work release for a second time to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Burress is currently in New York State prison under felony weapons possession charges after a gun he was holding in his pocket went off and shot him in the leg while in a New York nightclub.
The 32-year-old applied for work release last month and is expecting to receive an answer by September 9. Rumours had circulated that Burress would be released in the next two to three weeks but Burress’ lawyer stated those reports were false.
The NFL has already stated that Burress’ suspension would be lifted upon his release from jail, meaning there’s a chance he could play in the NFL this year.
A work release program would normally allow Burress to work from Monday to Friday but he would have to return to prison on the weekends. That would obviously still rule him out of playing although he could be given special privileges if he receives a waiver. A waiver would grant him the right to work in his profession.
"Waivers are rare, but not impossible," said one source familiar with Burress' case.
Burress claims he had brought the gun with him to the nightclub because he was concerned. A team mate had been held up at gunpoint a few days earlier and he feared for his safety.
The gun however was not licensed in New York or New Jersey and his licence from Florida had expired. He also failed to report the incident to authorities, and the bullet narrowly missed hitting a security guard, warranting a stiffer punishment.
Burress has guaranteed that he would play football again and that could certainly happen next year, if there is a season. There is a slight chance he could play some of this season too.
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