JT the Brick

The New York Giants took the easy way out on Tuesday, suspending receiver Plaxico Burress for four games and placing him on the non-football injury list. I was expecting more from one of the proudest and most-recognized organizations in the history of professional sports, but the Giants are still keeping their options open while they, the NFL league office and the New York City Police Department continue their ongoing investigation.

Last Saturday morning at approximately 1 a.m., Plaxico Burress entered a New York City night club with a loaded handgun that accidentally discharged into his leg. Now his NFL career, along with his personal freedom, is in jeopardy. This is just another example of an athlete who had it all and might have thrown it all away because he couldn’t make a few simple and responsible decisions.

How could a man, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the most recent Super Bowl, put his livelihood on the line and make such a stupid mistake?

The answer is simple. Plaxico Burress has no respect for authority and believes that he can live by his own set of rules. Whenever a professional athlete makes such a critical mistake, sports fans jump to their own conclusions about the events that took place and what motivated the individual in question to put himself in such a harmful situation. Take it from me, the majority of sports fans want Burress to lose his job with the Giants and face the legal obstacles that any other American would face in similar circumstances.

Here are four reasons why Plaxico Burress should have been cut by the Giants:

1. The Giants organization needs to send a message to their season ticket holders that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

The fans are asked to pay enormous prices for personal seat licenses as the team gets ready to move into its new stadium at the start of 2009 season. Giants fans are some of the most loyal in the league and most of them are bitter about being out-priced at the new stadium, especially during this economic down turn.

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These educated football fans understand that the Giants global brand is more important than one player and that Burress has consistently snubbed his nose at authority. He disrespected head coach Tom Coughlin countless times and reportedly has been fined for more than $200,000 this season for various transgressions. To make matters worse, his wife Tiffany has twice field restraining orders against him for domestic issues where the police had to come to their residence.

The Mara and Tisch family understand the legacy of their proud franchise and can’t afford to lose any of their fans just because they want to give Burress another chance at rebuilding his image. Hall of Fame legend Lawrence Taylor used to run around Manhattan partying until the sun came up, but never found himself staring down two felony gun charges and a potential criminal cover-up.

Burress is currently facing a minimum 3½ year jail sentence if convicted on these felony charges and this ugly story will continue to surround the Meadowlands until Burress is officially released of his services to the organization. When that time comes, the Giants can begin to put this PR nightmare behind them and concentrate on winning another championship.

2. The Giants need to protect Eli Manning.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP is currently the toast of New York and is having an MVP season as the quarterback of the Giants. Manning won a Super Bowl without the likes of Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey and he has already led his team to an 11-1 record in 2008. Eli Manning is a class act and he doesn’t deserve to have to put up with the antics of Burress or any other teammate that doesn’t respect team rules, let alone the law.

What would have happened if Burress was out socializing with Eli Manning and his gun went off and permanently ended the career of possibly the greatest quarterback in the history of the franchise? Linebacker Antonio Pierce wasn’t standing that far away from Burress when the gun went off.