Say Anything: Defending Plax

Most of you have likely read this article on ESPN.com about some recent comments made by Plaxico Burress, many of which in an interview with Men's Journal. As per its usually bullshit ESPN's homepage labels this story "Burress rips Coughlin, Eli." Besides committing the repeated offense of making a story where there is none, this is a callous dismissal of the opportunity for actual journalism.

In the past, I've shown zero sympathy for Michael Vick. I'd be a blatant hypocrite if I didn't differentiate the two recently-jailed players; the attempt may well be fruitless because as cotent an explanation as I can make still yields to the inescapable reality that Burress won a Super Bowl with the Giants (the top sports moment of my life) and Vick is an Eagle (a team I despise with every fiber of my being). The truth is, yes, that even if Vick and Burress committed the same offense and spent the same amount of jail time I would probably still view Burress more favorably. But they did not commit the same offense, nor did they share the same sentence.

The main argument from a Vick apologist is simply "He did his jail time, and now he's working with Anti-dogfighting organizations, what more does he have to do?" To state that question in more detail would be to say "what more does he have to do to earn your forgiveness?" As a dog-lover and a human being who is not in a state of complete moral corruption, I can answer "a whole hell of a lot." Burress -- and I'm trying to think objectively -- was always much easier to forgive. I don't need to convince anyone that painfully murdering dogs, among other things, is more unforgivable than shooting one's self in the leg. I know that morality paints only a part of the picture, but I can't look at Vick and see anything but a monster. I spent most of my life purposefully not loving, or liking, or acquainting with, anyone I deemed capable of these acts or their equivalents.

On a more concrete, practical basis, the only thing Plax did wrong according to the law was carrying a gun in a state in which it was unregistered. Now, depending on where we're positioned on the political spectrum, we all have different opinions on handgun laws, but most people wouldn't consider this that egregious of a crime. Yet Plaxico got 2 years in a maximum security prison, his petition to delay sentencing until after the birth of his daughter was denied, and the same for his petition to transfer the sentence to house arrest due to good behavior was denied -- the proverbial book was thrown at him. By its nature this punishment was one of general deterrence -- it was meant to make a point to the general public that if you carry an unregistered weapon, it will ruin your life. What purpose did Vick's punishment serve? Was it general deterrence? I don't think you can say that it was because his sentence was mostly for the fact that he was bankrolling a huge dogfighting ring. That the public can afford to do this very thing is not much of a concern. Was it some sort of retribution? I don't know. I don't. I don't think the punishment fit the crime, but others might disagree. Was it to rehabilitate Vick -- in other words to make the streets safer for dogs? Even if that were so, the purpose of preventing further transgressions contemplates the notion that Vick never would've changed on his own accord, and does nothing to atone for his past actions. This all serves to explain how I can seemingly love Plax unconditionally, while hating Vick with the same passion.

The ESPN excerpted several statements made by Plax in his interview with Men's Journal. Several of which detailed his personal, emotional account of his jail time. Regarding the strain his imprisonment put on his family:

"I told her, 'Stop sending pictures because they eat me up so much.' Me and her were arguing on the phone each day, 'cause I was locked down in a lot of pain, and she's in pain about her life outside, being alone with a kid and seven months pregnant," Burress told Men's Journal. "Then at chow, these white officers are yelling, 'You black mother------! You stupid f------ dumbass: You're finished!' It was the lowest point ever in my life."

If anyone needs a reason to hate the authorities, let this be one. It's obvious that it was horrible for his pregnant wife and son too. I put this quote first though because it serves as a good foundation to the rest of this post which seeks to justify the resounding bitterness throughout the excerpted interview.

In jail, "they treated me like a f------ axe murderer. 23-hour lockdown, noncontact visiting, and only a Bible to read," Burress said. "Nobody deserves to live like that, man."

Really? 23-hour lockdown? Only a Bible? I know, I know, it's jail! It is supposed to be horrible! But I can't help but think about other criminals who've ruined lives getting far superior treatment. A man shoots himself, by accident, yet he can't hug his kids because the gun was registered in a different state?

Presumably Burress then really opened up about what else was grinding his gears. Regarding the heat he took for not practicing during the Giants' Super Bowl season:

"It was hurtful that they didn't have the courage (after the season) to admit they told me not to practice all year, they let the media tear me apart, saying I was dogging practice, that I wasn't a team player, all this sh--. The players thought I was pissing on 'em, and coach Coughlin hated it because he was out of the loop: The orders came from upstairs."

The response to this seems to be "tough shit, deal with it." Personally though, I can relate. Let me explain: I've had a lot of shit pile on recently, over the course of a few months. My aunt died unexpectedly; I cut off the tip of my pinky (although it is an unimportant digit and a 4-week old injury, it still requires a large bandage which prevents me from doing a lot of things requiring any semblance of precision. I also can't exercise or the increased blood flow will increase both the healing time and the chance for infection); my financial aid money never came through (although I was assured several times there would be no problem, it still might take another month before I get the loan. I am currently trying to get through law school without the money to afford books); and I was very sick on my birthday this past Tuesday. During this stretch, my brain started to notice and amplify EVERYTHING that didn't go my way. I started to think "If only this thing went better than it did, or this person did this," I would feel at least a little better. So I can at least understand the pervading sense of bitterness and cynicism illustrated by Plax's quotes about receiving hate-mail:

"I was a human pincushion; they were like, 'Yeah, we finally got you, mother------'" he said. "On the cover of the New York Post, it said 'GIANT IDIOT!' and I'm thinking, 'Damn, I went and gave 'em what they wanted. I'm just another gun-toting, famous black athlete.' "

The realization of his mistake though, apparent in the last sentence, segues nicely into the next quote:

"I was an edge-goer at times, running the streets and living life and not spending time with my family, or taking risks and not thinking about the consequences, which gave them the chance to take me down."

Plaxico goes on to talk about Eli:

"I was always his biggest supporter, even days he wasn't on, 'cause I could sense he didn't have thick skin," Burress said. "Then I went away, and I thought he would come see me, but nothing, not a letter, in two years. I don't want to say it was a slap in the face, but I thought our relationship was better than that."

Listen, you won't find a bigger Eli supporter and fan than myself. I don't know him personally, but I think it's somewhat impossible to say he doesn't have thick skin. Other than that, I don't think anything about this is a "rip" on Eli, as ESPN so deliberately puts it. These are the words of a man who was hurt by the fact that someone he considered a friend didn't visit, or even contact him during the lowest point in his life. I am lucky enough to have a very close-knit group of friends. Neither the group nor any of the individual relationships would have this same dynamic if I thought that any of them wouldn't be there for me when I needed a friend the most. If I hit bottom, and any of them weren't there for me, it would hurt. Given an audience, I would probably let it be known too.

Burress does get a little petty, to the point of whiny in his comments about Coach Coughlin:

"I'm like, forget support -- how about some concern? I did just have a bullet in my leg. And then I sat in his office, and he pushed back his chair and goes, 'I'm glad you didn't kill anybody!' Man, we're paid too much to be treated like kids. He doesn't realize that we're grown men and actually have kids of our own."

"He's not a real positive coach, you look around the league, the Raheem Morrises and Rex Ryans -- when their player makes a mistake, they take 'em to the side and say, 'We'll get 'em next time.' But Coughlin's on the sideline going crazy, man. I can't remember one time when he tried to talk a player through not having a day he was having."

This seems like definite venting, but again, not a "rip." Any attempt to classify the comments as such is a thinly-veiled attempt to inject drama into a situation where there is none. Everyone knows Coughlin's coaching style, and I don't think these comments change anything. A lot of it is just stating unsurprising facts.

There are plenty of acceptable reactions to reading the ESPN article, or the full article in Men's Journal. Those of you who, at first glance, thought Plaxico was simply a whiny bitch, I urge to think in context and make an attempt to relate. It wasn't hard for me.

I entreat you to see, and appreciate, the abject honesty behind these comments. This isn't the same old "athlete says stupid things without thinking" interview. Plaxico has thought about these words, he has had plenty of time to do nothing but think these thoughts. He has said them, and now we can all move on. Sometimes, as a person, you have to say things for your own good, even if there is no identifiable "good" that follows. Plax said it best himself:

"For me, there just comes a time when you want to get things off your chest and you just speak about it at that time and put it behind you."

Have a great weekend,

Carm