EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress is done for the year.

The New York Giants fined and suspended Burress on Tuesday for four games -- the rest of the regular season -- after he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh over the weekend at a Manhattan nightclub. The team also placed him on the reserve non-football injury list, which means the wide receiver couldn't come back for the playoffs, either.

The team punished Burress a day after he was charged with illegal weapons possession, which carries a penalty of 3½ to 15 years in prison if he's convicted. Burress is due back in court again on March 31, unless he reaches a plea agreement.

Burress arrived Tuesday morning at Giants Stadium, and met individually with Giants president John Mara, general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin. He left for a medical test and returned in the afternoon for another brief session with team officials.

Even as they suspended him for conduct detrimental to the team, Giants officials expressed concern for Burress, who caught a touchdown pass from Eli Manning that gave the Giants a 17-14 Super Bowl win over New England in February.

"As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being," Mara said. "This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates."

Police and prosecutors still want to talk to a pair of Burress' teammates, Antonio Pierce and Ahmad Bradshaw, who were at the club when the shooting occurred but insist they did nothing wrong.

Pierce smiled but declined to speak to The Associated Press on Wednesday morning when he reported to Giants Stadium about 8 a.m.



The New York Post reported in Wednesday's edition that police impounded Pierce's SUV on Tuesday to look for any blood or gunpowder residue that might be inside. Following the shooting, police say Pierce drove Burress to the hospital and returned to New Jersey with Burress' gun in the glove compartment of his black Cadillac Escalade.

Neither Burress nor his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was immediately available for comment.



Teammates seemed at a loss what to say Wednesday as they reported to Giants Stadium.

"The only thing I hope that we gain from that is that people will stop asking us about Plaxico, that's probably the best thing about it, that it bring some closure at least as far as this season as far as football," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said.

Receiver Amani Toomer, whose 13 years with the team make his the current longest serving player, called the situation unfortunate.

"There is nothing good that will come out of it and there isn't much to say," he said. "It's just tough, it's just tough for everyone to deal with. I'm just glad he is OK. It could have been worse."

Dr. Scott Rodeo, a team physician, examined Burress and told the Giants that the gunshot wound would have sidelined the 31-year-old player for 4-to-6 weeks anyway.

"I had two conversations with Plaxico today, and it was obvious that he understood the magnitude of this situation," Reese said.