Plaxico Burress: 'I Was Reckless; I Made A Very Bad Decision'

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress says in an interview to be aired Tuesday night on ESPN's E:60 that he deeply regrets his decision to bring a loaded gun into a nightclub in New York City, and that he knows he has himself to blame for the two-year prison sentence he expects to receive after pleading guilty to felony weapons charges.

"I look myself in the mirror every morning and say, 'You got yourself into it now you get yourself out of it. Get your life back on track,'" Burress told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap. "I was reckless. I made a very bad decision. I'm suffering major the consequences for it. It took away what I love to do most, which is play football. I lost my job. That's where I am right now."

Burress says that when he walked into the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan, the security guards patted him down and let him in with his gun. That raises the rather obvious question of why security bothered patting Burress down if they were going to let him in the club with a gun.

But he did go in with the gun, and he says that when he was going up the stairs to the VIP area of the club, he stumbled on the steps, his gun slipped down in his jeans (not sweatpants, as has been widely reported), and as he reached down to stop it from hitting the ground, he hit the trigger and the gun fired a bullet into his leg.

Burress acknowledges that the gun was unregistered and he was therefore carrying it illegally, and now he is preparing himself for prison.

"I really don't know what to expect, to be honest with you," Burress told Schaap. "I know people that went in and came out and they tell you about it, but as a person -- nobody wants to go to prison."

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The Plaxico Burress Saga

On April 3, the Giants released Plaxico Burress, ending his turbulent four-year stay in New York. Click through to see more on how Burress' relationship with the Giants unraveled.

Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images

Plaxico Burress Saga

On April 3, the Giants released Plaxico Burress, ending his turbulent four-year stay in New York. Click through to see more on how Burress' relationship with the Giants unraveled.

Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images

David Tyree had the highlight-reel catch of Super Bowl XLII, but Burress had the game-winner. It was easily Burress' top moment as a pro, but what followed was far less rewarding.

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Unhappy with his contract situation, Burress skipped the Giants' mandatory 2008 summer mini-camp and then sat out much of the preseason with an ankle injury. Then, shortly before the start of the regular season, the Giants agreed to a five-year, $35-million contract extension with the disgruntled receiver.

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No mandatory mini-camp, no preseason, no problem. In New York's Week 1 win over Washington, Burress made 10 catches for 133 yards.

Seth Wenig, AP

In a stunning Week 6 Monday night loss to Cleveland, Burress scored a touchdown but was otherwise shut down, all part of a sub-par season that saw Burress fail to top 100 yards receiving in any game other than the opener.

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Burress had a bit of a meltdown in the Giants' Oct. 19 win over San Francisco. The NFL fined him $45,000 for his actions in that game, when he verbally abused an official and threw a ball into the stands. That came just two weeks after the Giants suspended Burress for their Oct. 5 game for missing a team meeting.

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In an easy New York win over Baltimore during Week 11, Burress tweaked his hamstring, which had him set to be inactive in Week 12 against Washington - until he suffered a more serious leg injury.

Kathy Willens, AP

Out at a club, just hours after it was reported that he would be inactive against the Redskins because of his hamstring injury, Burress suffered a gunshot wound to his leg - self-inflicted by accident.

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Burress surrendered to police Dec. 1 and was charged with two counts of illegal handgun possession after shooting himself in the leg at a nightclub. The Giants also suspended him for the rest of the 2008-09 season.

Louis Lanzano, AP

Burress found himself the subject of a lawsuit in late December, allegedly for striking a woman with his car. Then in March, Burress was cited for four traffic tickets on one stop - speeding, improper display of tags, improper lane change and improper window tinting.

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