Plaxico Burress testified before a Manhattan grand jury today and afterwards spoke publicly, expressing remorse for his actions the night of Nov. 29 when he shot himself in the leg and was subsequently arrested for felony gun possession.
"I was truthful, I was honest and I am truly remorseful for what I've done, what happened and what I did," Burress said to a large group of reporters on the sidewalk next to the courthouse. "I just want to thank everybody -- family, friends and fans -- for their support."
Burress did not take questions. He was in the courthouse for over 2 1/2 hours, telling his side of the events of that night to the grand jury deciding whether to indict the former Giants receiver for felony gun possession.
Ben Brafman, Burress' attorney, said today that Burress' case is different from "virtually any other gun case in New York," adding that Burress had lawfully purchased the gun and had registered it another state, presumably Florida, where his primary residence is.
"People have to understand the mitigating factors in this case that have been ignored by everyone, including the mayor and the district attorney," Brafman said.
Brafman said there was an agreement with the DA's office that Burress' bail would be set at $10,000 when he turned himself in.
"Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference and the bail was set $250,000," Brafman said, also citing DA Robert Morgenthau's public comments this week calling for Burress to serve significant jail time.
"We're not asking for special treatment," Brafman said, "we're just asking for basic fairness... My hope is, having seen and heard Mr. Burress, that the grand jury will have a much tougher decision to make."
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