Former Super Bowl star Burress indicted on weapons charges

By Arash Markazi, SI.com

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Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh in a New York nightclub last November. AP

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on weapons charges stemming from an incident last November in which Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York nightclub, prosecutors announced Monday.

Burress, 31, was indicted on two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment, according to the announcement by the Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, Burress' former teammate who was with him at the club and drove him to the hospital, was not indicted for his role in the incident, according to the prosecutor's announcement.

No one else is likely to face charges in the case, Morgenthau said.

Burress faces 3½ to 15 years in prison if convicted of the weapon possession charges, and up to one year if convicted of the reckless endangerment charge, according to the announcement. If convicted of both charges, his sentences for the two would run concurrently. He pleaded not guilty to weapons charges earlier this year and is free on $100,000 bail.

"The case was treated like any similar case against any other defendant," Morgenthau said in the statement. "The grand jury did what it thought was fair."

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown for the Giants over the New England Patriots in the final minute of last year's Super Bowl, was released by the Giants in April and has yet to sign with another team. He could face disciplinary action by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell under the league's personal conduct policy if and when he returns to the league.

MCCANN: Prison likely for Burress