Burress Home After 2 Years In Prison
LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. (CBSMiami.com) – Former New York Giants Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress emerged from a New York prison Monday morning to the outstretched arms of Miami-based agent Drew Rosenhaus. Burress has been behind bars on a gun charge for the past two years.
Burress, 34, arrived in South Florida later in the morning Monday and now he will begin to weigh what teams may be interested in bringing him in for the next season.
"I just want to thank God for bringing me through one of the most trying times in my life," he said to reporters outside the prison. "It's a beautiful day. It's a beautiful day to be reunited with my family. I want to go home and spend some quality time with them."
He also received words of encouragement from Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade via Twitter.
"1st I'm happy for Plaxico Burress that he can b reunite with his love 1s that I'm sure he missed more than football..but as a Bears fan i would love to c him in a Bears uniform," Wade tweeted.
"Welcome home Plaxico! Best of luck in the near future both on and off the field. #17 Jersey coming to a city near u," Heat star LeBron James tweeted later Monday afternoon.
Burress ended up in jail after walking into a Manhattan nightclub with a handgun in the waistband of his pants. The gun slipped down and fired as Burress tried to grab it. He was shot in the thigh when the gun went off.
Rosenhaus said that several teams are interested in him and called Burress a "top free-agent." Burress still has size at 6'5" and bulk at 220-230 pounds. But, he's 34 and for a wide receiver in the NFL, that's getting up there in years.
Burress' draw will be that he can still get up over the top of a 6-foot-tall defensive back in the red zone. Plus, he's not gone through the wear-and-tear of a full season for almost 3 years now. So he has a little bit more tread on the tire than a typical 34-year-old receiver.
Teams that have been rumored to be interested in Burress include: the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, and St. Louis Rams.
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