Plaxico Burress Released From Prison

By Ohm Youngmisuk
ESPNNewYork.com

N.Y. SportsCenter

ROME, N.Y. -- In his first precious moments as a free man again, Plaxico Burress embraced his wife and cradled his two young kids after being released from prison for serving nearly two years on a gun charge.

In the kind of heartfelt emotion that can only come from being away from family for so long, Burress soaked up the reunion with his loved ones. He looked like a giddy kid, even finding a few touching minutes to play with his two dogs.

AP Photo/Heather AinsworthPlaxico Burress told reporters: "As far as football is concerned, if and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I'll be ready."

"I just want to thank God for bringing me through one of the most trying times in my life," said Burress, who wore an old-school Philadelphia Phillies cap, a black zip-up hoodie and shorts. "It's a beautiful day. It's a beautiful day to be reunited with my family. I want to go home and spend some quality time with them.
"I'd like to thank everybody for their prayers and words of encouragement," Burress continued in his brief time with reporters outside the prison. "I'd like to thank all my fans all around the world for the thousands of letters, for their unwavering support. As far as football is concerned, if and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I'll be ready."

Shortly after walking out of the Oneida Correctional Facility around 9 a.m. ET, Burress' lawyer, Peter Frankel, drove the wide receiver to the nearby Lodge at the Turning Stone Resort-Casino for his emotional reunion with his wife Tiffany, his son Elijah, 4, and daughter Giovanna, 1.

After spending more than an hour at the hotel with his family, Burress -- who was followed by a camera crew that was with the family -- spent a few minutes playing with his two dogs in front of the hotel while an SUV was loaded with luggage.

Burress looked incredibly happy and humbled. He played peek-a-boo with his daughter while she was sitting inside the car and he was standing outside before later hopping into the back seat with his children.

Drew Rosenhaus, Burress' agent, said earlier on Monday morning that his client would travel to his home in South Florida and immediately begin training with other football players to begin his NFL comeback.

Rosenhaus, who jumped into Burress' arms moments after he walked out of the prison, also said Burress isn't ruling out a possible reunion with the New York Giants.

"I wouldn't rule out any team, I wouldn't rule out the Giants, I wouldn't rule out any club," Rosenhaus told reporters. "I really won't talk about specific teams because I don't want to hurt his position. As far as the Giants, my personal opinion is he wouldn't rule them out. I certainly wouldn't.

"We are going to be open to all 32 teams," Rosenhaus added. "Ultimately this will be Plax's decision, not mine. I am here to help him pick the best spot and get the very best contract. And that is what we will do."
Brandon Jacobs, one of Burress' best friends on the Giants, said last Thursday that "there is no chance Plaxico Burress is a New York Giant after he comes home" and that the wide receiver was looking for a fresh start, perhaps with the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, on Monday, Jacobs was a tad hesitant to close the door completely on a Plaxico-Giants sequel but did reiterate that Burress will have options. He mentioned the Eagles, Saints, Rams and Colts as potential options.

"I mean, I think there's a chance the Giants, I mean, I know they probably want him back," Jacobs said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio. "But with him having more options to pick from, I don't know how that's going to work out."

Several Giants players want Burress back with the team, which has missed the postseason the last two years without him. Coach Tom Coughlin has said that there hasn't been much discussion about a possible reunion.
"First of all what I can say about (Burress being released) is I am happy that he is home with his family," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said on the Stephen A. Smith show on 1050 ESPN New York. "And that's really about all I can say, you know, he is a free agent and I am not at liberty to talk about free agents - Plaxico or any other free agent at this time. I am just happy that he is home with his family."

Former Giants teammate Osi Umenyiora told ESPN in a "SportsCenter" interview on Monday that Burress looked like he was in "tremendous shape" when he visited the receiver in prison.

"I think he'll be able to make an impact immediately," he said. "A guy with that kind of physical ability and that kind of talent ... All you have to do is throw him the ball and he'll be able to make the same kind of plays he was able to make before."

At a quick glance, Burress, who will turn 34 in August, appeared to be in good shape. Rosenhaus said Burress did all he could to stay in shape while in prison.

"He's been very strong," Rosenhaus said. "He did a lot better than I would have. No question worked out, maintained a very positive attitude, always driven to get back to the NFL, be with his family again. As well as you could for 21 months of incarceration.

"Running, staying in shape, sprints, jogging, lifting weights, as much as you can do in a facility like this," Rosenhaus added. "Running routes, didn't have a quarterback here unfortunately. But he did very well -- push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, a lot of core strength, as much as you can imagine in this type of environment."
Burress will become a free agent once the lockout ends and free agency begins. Rosenhaus believes there will be a strong interest in his client. Teams like the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins and Eagles could be interested in the 6-foot-5 receiver, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants' 17-14 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots during the 2007 season.

“I wouldn't rule out any team, I wouldn't rule out the Giants, I wouldn't rule out any club.”
-- Agent Drew Rosenhaus

"Before the lockout started and during that very brief window, right around the time of the draft, the feedback was excellent," said Rosenhaus, who along with all other agents is not allowed to talk to teams until the lockout is lifted. "Plaxico is going to be a top free agent, there are going to be multiple teams interested in signing him. I expect him to get a good contract, I expect him to absolutely be playing. I think he'll be coveted. He'll be one of our top free agents."

Burress has not played football since late November in 2008 when a handgun that was tucked in his sweatpants slipped from his waistband and went off as he tried to grab the gun while in a New York City nightclub. Burress shot himself in the thigh. Nearly a year later, he entered prison to serve his sentence in September of 2009.

Burress was released about three months early for good behavior.

Because he was a high-profile inmate, he was placed in a protective custody unit at the prison, which has 930 inmates, 20 in protective custody. While in prison, he completed an aggression management program and worked as a lawn and grounds laborer, according the state's Department of Correctional Services.

Burress violated prison rules and regulations three times: He lied to a guard about having permission to use the phone; gave another inmate a pair of black and silver sneakers that were deemed contraband; and had too many cassette tapes and an unauthorized extra pillow in his "filthy" cell.

Burress will be on parole for two years. He has to get and keep a job, undergo substance abuse testing, obey any curfew established by his Florida parole officer, support his family and undergo any anger counseling or other conditions required by his parole officer.

"I think he's learned an awful lot," Rosenhaus said. "He knows that he obviously made a mistake and certainly the maturation from being in this type of environment for so many months to reflect on your life and the things you might do differently. To miss two NFL seasons in the prime of your career, to not be with your family, most importantly, to lose out on millions and millions of dollars -- these are things that have forced him certainly to evaluate his life and we all would become a better person."

It didn't take long for friends and former teammates to transmit their good wishes.

In response to a tweet that said: 'Just In!. Plaxico Burress Just Released from Jail!" former Giants star Michael Strahan responded: "About time!!"

Former Giants linebacker (and current ESPN NFL analyst) Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress the night his life unraveled, tweeted the following a couple of hours before Burress was released: "17.. Time well over due.. Great teammate, friend, person and better yet Man. Always a Champ.. Only 1 way to go ... Back to the TOP."

Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade also commented.

James tweeted: "Welcome home Plaxico! Best of luck in the near future both on and off the field. #17 Jersey coming to a city near u."

Wade, who is from Chicago, tweeted what many Bears fans likely are thinking.

"1st I'm happy for Plaxico Burress that he can b reunite with his love 1s that I'm sure he missed more than football .. but as a Bears fan i would love to c him in a Bears uniform," Wade wrote.

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


Follow Ohm Youngmisuk on Twitter: @notoriousohm

NFL Considering Changes to Playoff Overtime

by Scott
from http://www.sportsuntapped.com/

NFL

The annual NFL owners meeting will kick off this coming Sunday. One of the issues on the table will be altering overtime rules for the postseason. Under the new proposal, each team would be given one possession. If the score is still tied after that, overtime will continue under sudden-death rules.

This change would apply to the playoffs only, not the regular season. In order for it to go through, 24 votes are needed. Evidently, better kickers and return men have shifted the statistics in favor of the team that wins the coin toss.

“Changes occurred over time, and the numbers have changed to 59.8 percent winning the coin toss and winning the game. The team that loses the coin toss wins 38.5 percent. We are trying to put in a system that emphasizes more skill and strategy as opposed to the randomness of the coin flip.”

Personally, I have no problem with the current system. As the old adage says, defenses get paid too. If one team can’t stop the other, then they deserve to lose. That being said, I do think the change would bring a new level of excitement to the playoffs, which are already pretty damn thrilling.

Will it pass? I’d put the chances at about 50/50. Owners are often resistant to rocking the boat. However, if they feel it can improve the viewing experience and competitiveness, they will pull the trigger. Stay tuned for the answer sometime next week.

Darrell Green Runs 4.43 40-Yard Dash on 50th Birthday

By Ryan Wilson

Darrell Green retired from the Redskins after the 2002 season. He was the team's first-round pick in 1983, a seven-time Pro Bowler, and when it was all said and done, a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

In addition to being one of the all-time Redskins greats, he was also one of the fastest. And that still holds. According to his Twitter feed, Green celebrated his 50th birthday, like most folks who reach the milestone, by busting out a 4.43 forty.

A decade ago, shortly after signing a five-year deal (yep, that's right, Dan Snyder gave a 40-year-old a five-year contract), Green did this:

That's right: 4.2.

Kiefer Sutherland Loses Pats Bet, Wears Dress on Letterman

By Will Brinson

From: http://backporch.fanhouse.com/

Apparently, Kiefer Sutherland is a betting man. I know this because he appeared on the David Letterman show last night wearing a dress. And when Letterman asked him what the hell he was doing/thinking/wearing, Sutherland pointed out that he was so confident that the Patriots would defeat the Ravens that he told one of his friends he'd wear a dress on Letterman if they lost.

Well, obviously, they lost. Which means that instead of talking about the upcoming season of 24, the entire interview was Dave making fun of Kiefer while Kiefer apologized to friends and family. Hysterical stuff, really, especially when he takes a potshot at Jay Leno with an "out of the closet" joke. Enjoy.

Chad Ochocinco tries to 'bribe' official on replay ruling

By Chris Chase

The artful use of a folded bill can get people past a long line at a club, seated quickly at a restaurant with a 45-minute wait or, as countless detective shows have demonstrated, a good piece of information from a cab driver with a hazy memory. As Chad Ochocinco(notes) found out today, it will not get you a call during an NFL game.

The impish Cincinnati Bengals receiver playfully tried to bribe an NFL official today during his team's game with its division rival, the Baltimore Ravens. With the Cincinnati Bengals up 14-3 in the third quarter, Ochocinco caught a 15-yard Carson Palmer(notes) pass near the sideline. The side judge ruled it a catch, but the Ravens contended that Ochocinco's foot was out of bounds. While the ref was under the hood looking at the replay, Ochocinco borrowed a dollar bill from an assistant and playfully tried to hand the one-spot to another official.

Ochocinco was smiling the entire time and, as you can see above, the official put a stop to the hijinks before they really began. It didn't work, the ref overturned the call on the field and ruled that the pass was incomplete.

You're either going to be in one of two camps with this. Either you think it's hilarious (like me) or you think that the mere appearance of bribery toward officials is uncouth and needs to be dealt with swiftly. Judging by his track record, Roger Goodell will fall firmly in the latter camp. Expect a fine for Ochocinco, even though nobody will seriously think that this was ever meant to be anything but a goof.

Chad Ochocinco’s 10 Most Entertaining Bengals Moments

Posted by gibbs12

http://yepyep.gibbs12.com/

Inspired by Chad Ochocinco’s appearance on Letterman last week along with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s gallery of Chad, we bring to you Chad Ochocinco’s Top 10 Bengals Moments.

#10 - Chad’s New Bib

Heading to the crowd in Pittsburgh to throw a Terrible Towel at them after a Bengals victory in 2005.

#9 - The More Gold The Merrier

Gold mohawk, gold teeth, and the shirt that started Chad’s impressive self-branding movement in August 2006.

#8 - Thoroughbred Race

Racing a horse for charity to stay newsworthy in the 2007 offseason.

#7 - Chad Claus

Playing Santa Claus after a touchdown in a 2005 Christmas Eve game.

#6 - If You Have To Ask…

Begging the NFL not to fine him after breaking this sign out after a touchdown against the 49ers in 2003.

#5 - The Introduction

Revealing his new name and persona on his jersey before a game against the Falcons in 2006. In order to be allowed to have the nickname on the back of his jersey, he had his last name officially changed in the following offseason.

#4 - Pylon Putter

Playing putt putt after a touchdown against Baltimore in 2005.

#3 - Unwelcome Leap

Jumping into the Dawg Pound after a touchdown against Cleveland in 2007.

#2 - Riverdance

Doing the Riverdance after a touchdown against Chicago in 2005.

#1 - Friends In Enemy Territory

Coordinates a Lambeau Leap into the arms of strategically placed Bengals fans.

Cowboys' video board prompts quick revision of NFL rule book

Punts will apparently routinely be striking the bottom of the massive screen that looms 90 feet above the field at Jerry Jones' new stadium. The league's solution: Replay the down.

An image of Tony Romo is projected on the video screen as the Dallas Cowboys practice at the Cowboys' stadium on August 27. (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press / August 28, 2009)

By Sam Farmer

Get ready for do-overs in Dallas.

The NFL will not ask Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to raise the video board in his new stadium so that it won't obstruct high punts, and instead is changing the rule book to allow for re-dos if the football strikes the board.

After consulting with the competition committee and NFL staff this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell today said the following rule will be in effect for all remaining exhibition, regular-season and postseason games:

"If a ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot.

"If there is not an on-field ruling that the ball struck an object, the replay assistant is empowered to initiate a booth review, including if the event occurs prior to the two-minute warning. If, prior to the two-minute warning, no booth review is initiated by the replay assistant, a coach's challenge is permitted under the customary procedures for such a challenge."

The rule also says that, in the event a down is replayed, the game clock will be reset, and all penalties will be disregarded except personal fouls.

The massive board in the just-opened $1.2-billion stadium hangs 90 feet above the field. In the third quarter of last Friday's exhibition game against Tennessee -- the first football game in the venue -- a punt by the Titans' A.J. Trapasso struck the underside of the gigantic video screen, which stretches from one 20-yard line to the other.

The ball bounced straight down and was ruled dead, meaning the down had to be replayed. And the plunking wasn't surprising, seeing as second-stringer Trapasso hit the video board at least three times during warmups, and starter Craig Hentrich nailed it a dozen more.

The concept of a mulligan doesn't make sense to everyone around the league.

"This game wasn't created to kick and throw around obstacles," NFL Network analyst and former coach Mike Martz said in a conference call earlier this week. "It just has to get fixed."

sam.farmer@latimes.com

Welker fined $10,000 for 'snow angel' celebration

NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL receiving leader Wes Welker has been fined $10,000 for making a "snow angel" after scoring a touchdown for the New England Patriots last Sunday.

Welker, who leads the league with 109 receptions, fell to the ground on his back just behind the end zone and brushed both arms and legs back and forth in the snow after catching an 11-yard pass from Matt Cassel in the second quarter. That gave New England a 28-0 lead in its 47-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The NFL imposed the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, specifically for participating in an illegal demonstration by going to the ground after his touchdown, league spokesman Corry Rush said.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NFL admits mistake in Steelers game; error costly to gamblers

By Gregory Shamus, Getty Images

Mike Tomlin and Steelers emerged with an 11-10 victory against San Diego on Sunday, and the NFL acknowledged it wrong nullified a touchdown at the end of the game that would have boosted the margin of victory.

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

PITTSBURGH — The officiating mistake and touchdown that wasn't at the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 11-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers didn't change the result. From a betting standpoint, it was huge.

"It didn't have an effect on the outcome of the game NFL-wise, record-wise, but it definitely was a big difference for people that had (bets on) Pittsburgh," says Sean Van Patten, odds maker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which provides point spreads to Las Vegas casinos for legal sports betting.

Van Patten said the big winners to the tune of millions of dollars were the sports books, which take the wagers, because the public tends to bet on favorites. His firm had the Steelers favored by 4½-points.

"Say a weekend rolls in where 10 favorites cover the spread. That's always a bad weekend for the sports books," said Van Patten. "The regular Joe that walks in off the street and bets, I would say probably 85-90% of the time they're (betting) on the favorite. … The professional (bettors) are more where you get your underdog money. But the public money dwarfs that money."

Trailing by a point, the Chargers had one play left from their own 21-yard line with five seconds remaining. Philip Rivers threw a short pass to running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Then it got wild.

Tomlinson tossed the ball to wide receiver Chris Chambers. When Chambers tried a toss of his own, the ball was batted away by Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu, who picked it up and ran 12 yards into the end zone.

The officials signaled touchdown. Pittsburgh led 17-10 on the scoreboard. Steelers swarmed the field, then returned to their sideline for an extra point kick that never came.

After a replay review and consultation by the officials, the touchdown was taken off the board. The 11-10 score stood. But after the game, referee Scott Green said the crew had made a mistake and that the touchdown should have counted.

"We should have let the play go through to the end," said Green.

The play originally was ruled penalty-free. No flags.

The NFL confirmed the mistake on Monday, but said the final score of the game will not change.

After the play the instant replay official buzzed down and told the crew it needed to review the toss from Tomlinson to Chambers, that it appeared to be an illegal forward pass and not a legal backward lateral.

Green looked at the replay and agreed it was forward. "From the release point to where it was touched, it was about a yard forward," Mike Pereira, NFL vice president of officiating, said Monday on ESPN.

Green then made the announcement that there was an illegal forward pass, that the penalty was declined and that it was a touchdown. "Which is right, and that's where we should have remained," said Pereira.

Under NFL rules, had the illegal forward pass hit the ground, it would have ended the play. The toss from Tomlinson to Chambers did not hit the ground.

The problem was the officials got together again.

Pereira said that in a moment of "confusion" they got the Chambers toss (a legal lateral that hit the ground) into their conversation about the Tomlinson toss (an illegal forward pass that did not hit the ground).

Somehow, they applied the fact that the ball hit the ground incorrectly to the Tomlinson toss.

"That led to the misinterpretation and taking away the points, which they shouldn't have," said Pereira.

Said Green: "The first pass was the one that was illegal, but it only kills the play if it hits the ground. … There was some confusion over which pass we were talking about, and it was decided that it was the second pass that was illegal that did hit the ground, and therefore we killed the play there."

They got it wrong.

Van Patten said that while the sports books made money, they would rather not have such complex outcomes and mistaken calls.

"They don't really care for that situation much," he said.

"You have a whole bunch of disgruntled bettors. … They've got people standing in line thinking they won and they didn't. And they also still like to see the integrity of the game and the right call made regardless of what the result may be."

Donovan McNabb didn't know a NFL game could end in a tie

Kyle Koster

The Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals battled it out in the trenches for 75 minutes Sunday, scratching and clawing for every yard. When the dust settled, it ended in an extremely unsatisfying 13-13 tie.

But the real news is that Eagles quarterback and future Hall of Famer* Donovan McNabb was blissfully unaware that ties existed in professional football.

"No one was more surprised than McNabb that it ended so soon -- 3 hours, 46 minutes after the opening kickoff. The 10th-year quarterback thought it would keep going until someone scored, just like a playoff game.

Wrong.

''I didn't know that,'' McNabb said. ''I've never been part of a tie. I never even knew it was in the rule book. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game."

Consider for a moment the juxtaposition of one of the league's premiere players and the face of a franchise not realizing the rules of overtime against a nation of armchair quarterbacks armed to the teeth w ith an intimate knowledge of football rules, history and statistics.

Consider it a small victory for Joe Six Pack. Something to you knew that Donovan didn't.

Maybe I'm the only one who is shocked by the irony of fans sitting at home knowing the rules and the signal-caller of one of the teams out there waiting for a second overtime to begin.

McNabb can tak e solace in the fact that he isn't the only one unhappy with splitting the chunky soup of victory equally. Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick called the outcome "terrible."

The last tie in the NFL was in 2002, when the Steelers and Falcons fought to a 34-34 stalemate.

It raises the question if ties should exist in professional football. It seems like so much time is spent debating the overtime system -- one that so often is decided by who gets the ball first -- and so little on whether calling a game a draw is a reasonable thing to do.

So, should the NFL look into changing this, or are you OK with a tie every six years or so?

*Subject to interpretation.