ALBANY — Breaking his silence, Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said he is not remorseful for his actions last Nov. 29 in the moments after his former teammate, Plaxico Burress, accidentally shot himself in the thigh with an illegal handgun.
But he is sorry he was there in the first place.
Read a Transcript of Pierce’s Remarks Here
Pierce on Monday learned he was not indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, ending his involvement in a situation that could land Burress in jail for an extend period of time. Pierce accompanied Burress to a Manhattan nightclub that night and reportedly drove Burress to the hospital and transported the gun in his car to New Jersey.
“I am not sorry for how I acted that night, I am not sorry for how I responded,” Pierce said after a morning practice at the University at Albany. “I am sorry for putting myself in position that I had to respond the way I had to respond.
“There’s a lot of lessons I learned from this. I take them to heart, I take them seriously. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but ever since the New York Giants got to Albany the sun’s been out, it’s been bright and Antonio Pierce and the New York Giants are looking forward.
“I’m tired of seeing myself on the TV and hearing my name on the TV; start talking about the New York Giants and the 2009 season. Anything that happened in 2008 is really irrelevant at this point.”
Pierce took a few questions during a brief media gathering.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to speak to the grand jury and let them hear the facts from my lips, not from nobody else’s,” Pierce said. “I thought I acted very reasonably and responsibly, instinctively to a teammate that was in need. That was my concern that night, to give him help.
“There’s a lot of people I want to thank and need to thank. First and foremost I’d like to thank my family for doing what they’ve always done, sticking behind Antonio Pierce and knowing who he really is. Second, my friends, and thirdly and not lastly the New York Giants, the whole organization.
“Probably one of the main reasons I came to New York, (was) because of the organization, the front office and people around here.
Pierce said he felt “obviously very relieved” that the grand jury voted to not indict him and was heartened by the support he felt.
“My hat’s off to my teammates,” he said. “My phone ran out of text messages I could receive, calls, everything. My teammates have been very supportive, they’ve been there for me. It’s a lot easier when you’re on that green field with the boys.
“Coming back up to Albany, getting ready for this 2009 season, that’s all I’ve been looking forward to. The people of New York obviously heard what I had to say, heard all the witnesses and everybody that was involved in that night and they made a decision.”
Linebacker Danny Clark rooms with Pierce at the dorms during training camp and was with Pierce on Monday afternoon when word came down that the grand jury voted to not indict.
Asked how Pierce reacted, Clark said, “Like a 10-ton brick was lifted off his back. He didn’t show a whole lot of emotion about it. He just said he’s good. I congratulated him and said, ‘Now let’s get down to business.’
“We still have a great task at hand, a championship to win and I think we couldn’t have done it without him. My heart went out to him. I knew it bothered him but he didn’t show it. At the end of the day, this is a very tough, macho business where you don’t let a lot of outside influences affect your demeanor. He was excited. He just got some unwanted pressure off his back.”
Defensive end Osi Umenyiora said that none of the players felt Pierce would go to jail. However, the decision removed a major distraction and insured that the Giants would have their starting middle linebacker available.
“I think he did what any one of us would have done,” Umenyiora said. “I don’t think he did anything wrong in any sense of the word.”
The Giants released Burress in April and he has yet to sign with another team.
Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said Monday he was disappointed but not surprised by the indictment, which came after Burress testified before the grand jury and expressed remorse.
With AP