Burress Wants To Avoid Jail Time

At a time when the wheels seem to be in motion for a plea deal between Giants receiver Plaxico Burress and New York prosecutors, a league source tells us that Plax is pressing for an outcome that entails no jail time. It’s hardly surprising, given his chronic inability to understand the connection between the rules that periodically are imposed on him and his chronic failure to comply. If those rules don’t apply to him, then why should the consequences? But his options are simple. Strike a deal that reportedly will entail a prison stay, or stand trial. The stakes are fairly high; if Burress is convicted of second-degree possession of a loaded and unlicensed firearm, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 3.5 years. Either way, a delay won’t enhance the ability of Burress to play football in 2009. One school of thought is that Burress and company are looking to delay resolution until after the 2009 season, so that he can fully prepare and participate this year without incarceration or suspension. Then, if a plea deal is reached later, he can agree to launch his sentence promptly after the season ends. Or maybe he can get placed on the Ahmad Bradshaw installment plan, which is a sort of prison layaway that would allow him to serve time over a period of years, when it’s most convenient for the inmate.