Long before he went to prison for shooting himself in the leg while carrying an unlicensed handgun in a Manhattan nightclub, Plaxico Burress had developed a reputation for having a difficult time dealing with authority. In discussing his relationship with New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin during an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Burress confirmed as much.
"My situation in New York, me and my coach had an ambivalent relationship to say the least," Burress said. "Some things that I didn't agree with, with the way he went about things. And the only way to show my way was to just rebel. Is that who I am? No."
Sorry, Plax. I'm not buying. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. When you rebel against a coach, and know that your are rebelling, that defines who or what you are.
Shortly after Burress shot himself in 2008 I spoke with Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, who co-authored a book with Burress after the Giants won the Super Bowl. Cole said Burress' "one great fault is that he does not appreciate and does not give in to authority."
Burress told Smith he "didn't like to go to work during the week" while playing for Coughlin.
Burress has been expected to find a team other than the Giants to play for when he resumes his NFL career this fall. These comments make that seem like a virtual certainty.