Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE
Plaxico Burress compared his experience in prison to playing for the Jets
Former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress has had some difficult experiences in his life, and apparently playing for the New York Jets ranks among them. During a recent interview, the Super Bowl winner compared being in jail to playing for Gang Green.
During an appearance on Lil Wayne’s The Joint Venture Show, Plaxico Burress discussed his 20-month prison sentence following his 2008 conviction for illegal gun possession and compared his experience to his time playing for the New York Jets.
Burress played one season for the Jets in 2011, his final productive season as a pro before he retired in 2013. In 16 starts for the team, Burress had 45 catches for 612 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
Plaxico Burress said playing for the New York Jets felt like waking up in prison every day “feeling like a loser”
“Going to prison, every day you wake up feeling like a loser,” Burress said. “It felt like playing for the Jets.”
Burress’ comments, however, feel unfair when actually given context. The year he joined the Jets, they had just come off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances under Rex Ryan and looked like a legitimate contender in the conference.
While the 2008 season didn’t live up to those expectations, they finished 8-8 — not excellent, but not dismal either.
Burress, of course, famously already won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, in which he caught the game-winning touchdown from Eli Manning against the previously undefeated New England Patriots. That regular season, Burress had 70 catches for 1,025 yards and a career-high 12 receiving touchdowns.
Burress was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Michigan State University with the 8th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent five season with Pittsburgh before spending the next four with the Giants. After his prison stint, Burress returned to the NFL and played with the Jets in 2011 before returning to the Steelers for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.