Plaxico Burress, Wide Receiver
Heading into the 2008 season, Plaxico Burress was a Super Bowl champion, and the top receiving option for the New York Giants. At 6’5 and 232 lbs, he had the size of a professional basketball player, giving him the ability to consistently win in “jump ball situations.” Besides his towering frame, Plax also had remarkable agility for a receiver with his size. That’s why the Giants were comfortable giving him a five-year, $35 million contract extension prior to the start of the 2008 season. But, three months after signing the extension, Burress suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his right leg, after the gun he had in his sweatpants accidentally fired. Burress turned himself in to police to face charges of criminal possession of a handgun, because he didn’t have a license for his firearm. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t care that Burress was a “celebrity” — and actually urged that Burress be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Burress was released by the Giants, and sentenced to two years in prison.