Plaxico Burress, the star receiver for the New York Giants, was charged on December 1, 2008, with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. 
Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh on Friday night while at a nightclub in Manhattan. Burress, who did not enter a plea, was ordered to return to court on March 31. He was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court by Judge Felicia Mennin.
This season, Burress, who has a $35 million contract with the Giants, has grabbed 35 passes for 454 yards and four TDs. His output is down considerably from the last two years, when he averaged 11 TDs, 66 receptions and 1,006.5 yards per season. During that time, he averaged 15.1 YPC. This season, he’s been good for 13.0 YPC. Burress has missed two games this season, including last Sunday’s versus the Washington Redskins.
Burress had an expired out-of-state concealed-weapon permit issued in Florida. It expired in May. New York does not recognize out-of-state permits. The hospital Burress checked into to get his wound treated may not have reported the incident, which is required by law. The wideout checked into the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center under the false name Harris Smith. He told the hospital that he’d been shot at an Applebee’s restaurant. The charges carry a sentence of 3.5 to 15 years.