Let the countdown to Plaxico Burris' court date begin

It seems so long ago that one of the NFL’s premiere wide receivers walked into a New York City nightclub wearing sweatpants and wielding a gun, and then subsequently shot himself in the leg, reusulting in his arrest on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a loaded and unlicensed weapon.

New York Giant and former Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burris faces mandatory minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison in connection with the incident.

But we’ll know Tuesday how seriously the state of New York views the word ‘mandatory’ when Burris appears in court to enter a plea.

His friends/teammates were optimistic that there would be some leeway in the term mandatory. Both Brandon Jacobs and Osi Umenyiora talked to the New York Daily News about the Burris situation.

For his part, Umenyiora has done a bit of research on Plax’s behalf:

Jacobs, meanwhile, attempted to spin the situation thusly:

Indeed, it’s a messed up world and a messed up country where the those

who fire unlicensed guns in crowded clubs should be prosecuted under

the law, and are subject to the same penalties as the general public.