This time, he didn’t catch a pass.
VACCARO: Plaxico Got Every-Man Treatment
In a surprise move, ex-Giants superstar Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty yesterday to attempted gun possession — agreeing to a two-year prison term to avoid the mandatory higher sentence he would have gotten if convicted at trial.
The Super Bowl hero was suspended hours later by the NFL, which said he was “ineligible to sign with any team until he completes his jail term.”
That term — which could drop to 20 months with good behavior — will be his penance for accidentally shooting himself in the thigh with his own Glock pistol in a crowded Midtown nightclub last November.
The wide receiver — who lost out on the nearly $27 million remaining on his Giants contract — will turn himself in at his Sept. 22 sentencing.
While in prison, he will miss the birth and infancy of his second child.
Burress, 32, wore a hangdog expression as he took his plea. He then strode wordlessly away from a crowd of photographers to a waiting car outside Manhattan Supreme Court.
“After an agonizing period of discussion, Plaxico decided he wanted to do this now in the hope that when he is released, he will be able to continue his stellar career,” said his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman.
Burress famously caught the winning pass for the Giants against the New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl.
Giants co-owner John Mara, who cut Burress last April, called the situation “a terrible tragedy.”
“When I think about what he threw away just by making some poor choices . . . ” Mara said.
But he added, “Had this been Joe the Plumber, would he have gotten two years? I’m not so sure about that.”
Giants fan Tony Bethel, 45, of Queens, said, “It was kind of dumb that he took the gun where he did. It would have been worse if he shot somebody. It was his mistake, and he’s gotta pay the price.”
Assistant District Attorney John Wolfstaedter said that yesterday was the last day that the plea offer was available to Burress.
If he had gone to trial and been convicted of weapons possession, Burress would have faced a 3½-year minimum sentence.
“There was no way out,” Brafman said.
Brafman insisted that what he characterized as an overly severe plea deal proved that Burress was a victim of his own fame.
“If he was John Q. Public, he would have never been arrested,” Brafman said.
“He is sad; he is disappointed in himself. “He is unhappy because he’s a good man who’s facing prison.”
Mayor Bloomberg had originally demanded that the district attorney severely punish Burress but backed off that yesterday, saying, “I can’t get involved in that.”
Burress resides in a $1.5 million Totowa, NJ, mansion with his wife and also owns a Florida property valued at $3.4 million.
If he never plays another down in the NFL, he would be able to collection a pension of $56,400 per year for the rest of his life.
Additional reporting by Paul Schwartz and Dan Mangan