Plaxico Burress Applies For Work Release, Inevitable Job With Bengals

Could the fallen star play football while serving a prison sentence?

You haven’t heard from Plaxico Burress lately, and that’s because Plaxico Burress has been in prison for shooting himself. Burress is scheduled to stay in jail until June of next year, but ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports the wideout has applied for a work release program that, in theory, would allow him to play football while commuting to prison two days a week. Here are the fine details:

(Burress) is expected to get a ruling from state authorities by the beginning of the NFL season on Sept. 9.

The league -- which had previously stated that Burress' suspension would end upon completion of his sentence -- said that if he is granted a work release, his suspension would be lifted.

However, because of the terms of the work-release program, which usually calls for a prisoner to work Monday through Friday but return to prison on the weekends, the chances of him being able to play football anytime soon are remote. It is possible, but not likely, that the department of corrections would grant special privileges.

Paolantonio also notes that traveling out of state while on a work release requires a special waiver that Burress is unlikely to receive. So the odds of him being able to play football while on work release are slim to none.

But I’m rooting for it. Oh, how I’m rooting for it. I thought Burress’ sentence was overly harsh to begin with, given that the only person he harmed was himself. So I think it would awesome if Burress could somehow pull off playing for an NFL team (let’s say the Bengals, because it would obviously be the Bengals) while being in PRISON two days a week.

Do you realize how amazing that would be? I know Deion played baseball AND football at the same time, but even that wouldn’t be half as impressive as Burress playing while serving a jail sentence. Think of it. He plays the game on Sunday. Then, tired and beaten down, he reports to jail Monday and Tuesday and spends two days in the pokey,  then gets out Wednesday to go to practice and meetings, then flies to the game site, then plays, then goes BACK to jail again. All with Ed Werder and a camera crew on his tail.

If you can do that AND put up impressive numbers, I say you belong in the Hall of Fame. I say you deserve to have your crime expunged from the record.

No NFL player, to my memory, has ever pulled off this sort of thing. And so that’s why I’m rooting for Burress, his judge, and Mike Brown to make it happen. Say what you will about Burress. But if you can be an All-Pro while doing time, I tip my hat.

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