Ex-Giant Plaxico Burress Sentenced to Two Years

NEW YORK -- NFL receiver Plaxico Burress has been sentenced to two years in prison in a hearing in New York this morning. The former Giants receiver began serving the sentence immediately.

Burress was accompanied by his wife, son and father to the hearing this morning. He pleaded guilty to a weapons charge last month stemming from an incident in which he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Manhattan nightclub in November.

ESPN reported Burress' attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said it was "a tragic day for a decent man."

After leaving court, Brafman lamented that Burress made a mistake but did not deserve such a strict sentence.

"He violated a law that has no flexibility whatsoever," Brafman said.

"You can violate the law, be subject to severe punishment and not be a criminal."

Burress' sentence includes two years of supervised release. He could be eligible to leave prison after 20 months.

Burress, cut by the Giants in April, has indicated he wants to return to the NFL after his prison sentence. He will be 34 when the 2011 season starts.