Plaxico Burress Pleads Guilty, Will Serve 2 Years In Prison

After a very long and frustrating trial period that included battles between Plaxico Burress' attonrey Benjamin Brafman and an old school N.Y. District Attorney, who had it out for both Burress and teammate Antonio Pierce, Burress finally accepted a plea bargin that will put him behind bars for two years.

If he had not pleaded guilty, the former Giants receiver would have faced 3 1/2 years in prison if he was found guilty of possessing an illegal firearm in a New York City nightclub last November.

Burress will be sentenced to prison on September 22, ultimately putting an end to any speculation that Burress would find a way to avoid sentencing this fall that would have allowed him to play with a football team this year.

Instead Burress may not see the field of play again until 2011 at the earliest. The Super Bowl XLII hero will be pushing 35 years old when he comes out of jail, and it is fair to speculate that he professional football career might be over. Spending that much time away from the game for a player who is no longer in his prime might spell the end for a very good athlete.

Still, a guy like Michael Vick may be an example. Even though Vick signed with the Eagles a week ago, it is unknown if Vick is in playing shape after spending two years in jail for brutally murdering dogs and running a dog fighting ring. If Vick isn't in playing shape, his career might as well be over, and he is a few years younger than Burress.

Yahoo Sports story.

May this be a lesson to professional athletes all over that no matter how much money and celebrity they have, it means nothing when the law is broken. Burress is paying for being a fool.