Plaxico Burress is scheduled to be released from the upstate Oneida Correctional Facility on June 6 — in time for training camp, if there is no NFL lockout — and there is growing support within the Giants organization to bring him back and give him a second chance.
Co-owner Steve Tisch already is on record as championing the troubled wide receiver’s cause, and considers him a dear friend. Co-owner John Mara feels strongly that Burress has paid his debt to society. General manager Jerry Reese yesterday said the Giants would investigate a possible Plaxico II.
Now defensive captain Justin Tuck has told The Post he, too, would welcome Burress back.
“I know that he’s paid his debt to society, and I think he’s overpaid his debt to society,” Tuck said.
“Yeah, I would love to see him back. We’ve all seen how the Mike Vick situation has played out. And we all know that Plaxico is one of the most talented wide receivers to ever play this game.”
Burress, who will turn 34 in August, is serving a two-year sentence on weapons-possession and reckless-endangerment charges stemming from the infamous November 2008 nightclub incident in which he shot himself in the leg.
“Whether he’s here, or wherever he comes back, he’s gonna come back with a chip on his shoulder trying to prove a point,” Tuck said. “So, as a defensive player, I would much rather that guy be on our team than not. And plus, he’s a difference-maker. I would love to see him back.”
Tuck was asked if he would lobby for Burress.
“If my owner came and asked me what I thought, I would tell him exactly what I just told you,” Tuck said.
Eli Manning has been hampered by not having a red-zone threat like the 6-foot-5 Burress. Coach Tom Coughlin would have to sit down with Burress and be convinced he would not disrupt the team concept Coughlin has built.
“We investigate everything,” Reese said. “When that situation arises, we will investigate that.”