NEW YORK -- Facing the prospect of spending at least 3½ years behind bars, one-time Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress on Thursday accepted a plea bargain with a two-year prison sentence for a firearm charge. The charge stemmed from an incident in which Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub.

The former New York Giants wide receiver pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, a lesser charge than he had faced. He will be sentenced Sept. 22, and lawyer Benjamin Brafman said he expects Burress to begin serving his sentence immediately after.

Burress got into a black SUV without speaking to reporters outside a Manhattan courthouse, but Brafman said, "After an agonizing period of discussion, Plaxico decided that he wanted to do this, to put this behind him as quickly as possible."

Plaxico Burress, leaving a courthouse in Manhattan with his attorney, Benjamin Brafman, will be sentenced Sept. 22. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Burress was indicted earlier this month on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment. He faced a minimum sentence of 3½ years if convicted at trial.

Hours after Burress' court appearance, the NFL announced that commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended the receiver and said Burress is ineligible to sign with any team until he completes his prison term. After that, Burress may sign with an NFL team without further review.

Goodell, who met with Burress and his representatives last week, decided the case didn't need to be reviewed again later because he already had decided to suspend Burress for one season, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

If Burress had entered a not-guilty plea Thursday, Goodell would have suspended him for the upcoming season, sources told Mortensen.

The guilty plea ends months of haggling between Brafman and the Manhattan district attorney's office. The case went to a grand jury after negotiations broke down, apparently because District Attorney Robert Morgenthau was insisting that Burress serve at least two years in prison.

Morgenthau did not comment on Burress' guilty plea.