Plax hit with weapon charge; Pierce under scrutiny

Associated Press

Giant headache

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Burress was silent but held his head high as he was led out of the police station, where a crowd that included Giants fans hovered nearby with cell phone cameras. Burress planned to plead not guilty to the charge during a Monday court appearance, said defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman.

The star wide receiver who helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl accidentally shot himself at a nightclub Friday evening and was treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He was released Saturday.

The episode set off a frenzy that showed no signs of letting up Monday: Police said the case could expand beyond Burress, with authorities investigating Pierce and the hospital for failing to report the shooting. The NFL is closely monitoring the developments as well.

A more detailed timeline of the evening also emerged. Police said Pierce, Burress and running back Derrick Ward arrived at the Latin Quarter nightclub with two other people around 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Burress had been allowed to bypass security, even though they knew he was armed, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The club is said to be fully cooperating in the investigation.

Around 12:05 a.m., as Burress was being escorted to a VIP area with a drink in one hand, he somehow ended up fumbling his gun and it discharged, hitting his thigh. Pierce was with him when that occurred, police said.

It's believed Pierce took Burress to the car and then left with him, according to police. The .40-caliber Glock was found in the glove compartment of Pierce's Cadillac Escalade, but it's unclear who put the weapon there.

Police are trying to figure out what happened in the two hours that followed. Burress showed up at the hospital around 2:20 a.m, and was discharged at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Police said they had to track Burress down by canvassing local hospitals, and he had been discharged from New York-Presbyterian by the time detectives got there Saturday. An administrator then refused to give detectives information, citing privacy rules, police said.

The gun was eventually recovered at Burress' house in New Jersey, authorities said.

The case drew the wrath of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has waged a long fight against illegal guns during his time in office. He called for a full prosecution of state law that requires mandatory prison for carrying a loaded handgun.

"I don't think anybody should be exempt from that, and I think it would be an outrage if we didn't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, particularly people who live in the public domain, make their living because of their visibility — they're the role models for our kids," Bloomberg said.

He also lashed out at the hospital, based on the allegation that officials may not have properly reported the shooting.

"It's just an outrage that the hospital didn't do what they were legally required to do. It's a misdemeanor, it's a chargeable offense, and I think the district attorney should certainly go after the management of this hospital. The lame excuse that they didn't know — this is a world-class hospital," he said.

A call to the hospital seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Brafman refused to respond to media reports about an alleged coverup, other than to say: "I think a lot of what's been in the press is not accurate."

Pierce deflected several questions after Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins. He wouldn't say whether he has a lawyer and when asked if he is concerned about his own situation, Pierce replied: "No. I'm fine where I'm at.

"I am not answering any questions about the incident that happened Friday night. If you have anything to say about the Washington Redskins, this game and moving forward, I'll answer it. Anything else, I'm not answering."

Ward said he wasn't with Burress on Friday night, and learned of the shooting on Saturday along with other teammates. He said the last time he saw Burress was "that afternoon (Friday), right after practice."

Asked if he would say where he was Friday night, Ward said: "It doesn't really matter where I was. It just matters that I wasn't with them."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he spoke to his players about Burress' situation but wouldn't get into specifics.

"We all are upset about what happened with Plaxico, and hopefully he's going to be fine and so on and so forth. That's our first concern," Coughlin said.

Reese and Giants president and CEO John Mara said they hadn't spoken to Burress, who hurt his hamstring two weeks ago. "I reached out to him," Reese said. "I did not get a return phone call."

Mara repeatedly said the Giants would cooperate with the police and the NFL in their investigations.

"This is a law enforcement matter and we are continuing to cooperate fully with the police," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement. "In addition, it will be reviewed under our league policies."

Burress caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in the Giants' Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots in February, following a regular season in which he scored a career-high 12 TDs. He was rewarded with a $35 million, five-year contract.

Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns while constantly drawing double coverage this season.

Off the field, he was suspended for a game against Seattle in October and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the Giants of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.