Plaxico Burress, a Super Bowl champion wide receiver, has drawn a striking parallel between his tenure with the New York Jets and his 20 months spent in prison, stating that both experiences made him feel like a "loser."
During a recent appearance on "The Joint Venture Show," Burress, who served time after illegally carrying a gun that discharged in his leg in 2008 while with the New York Giants, described his feelings upon joining the Jets in 2011. "They’re both kind of similar because when I walked into prison my first day, I was like, ‘Damn, man, you are a f---ing loser,'" Burress said.
He continued to draw the comparison to his time with the Jets, stating, "And I had the same damn feeling every day I walked through the door with the Jets. I was like, ‘Damn I hope we can win this weekend.’ Loser."
Burress achieved significant success earlier in his career, notably catching the game-winning touchdown for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots during the 2007 season. That year, he recorded 60 receptions for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns. Following that season, he signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension with the Giants.
Before the incident that led to his incarceration, Burress was a key player for the 2008 Giants team, which had a 10-1 record. He had accumulated 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games.
After his release from prison, Burress signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Jets. In the 2011 season, he played 16 games, catching 45 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns. The Jets finished that season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.
Burress concluded his NFL career with a brief stint on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012, appearing in four games before retiring. In his career spanning 148 games, he had 553 receptions for 8,499 receiving yards and 64 touchdowns.