(born
August 12 ,
1977 in
Norfolk ,
Virginia ) is an
American Football Wide Receiver for the
NFL 's
New York Giants . After being drafted in the first round of the 2000
NFL Draft (8th overall) out of
Michigan State , Burress became a full-time starter for the
Pittsburgh Steelers in
2001 . Burress is a "big-play" threat and was considered to have been a good balance to the Steelers' other starting wide receiver,
Hines Ward , who is more of a "possession receiver." Burress also quickly became
Ben Roethlisberger 's favorite target when Roethlisberger became the Steelers' starting quarterback.
Burress gained notoriety with his feud with linebacker
Ray Lewis' Baltimore Ravens , in which Ravens
Tight End Shannon Sharpe made light of Plaxico's tendency to get injured by dubbing him "
Plexiglas ". Additionally Burress became known for a "757" tattoo on his biceps, which he said represented his Norfolk area code.
On
January 23 ,
2005 , after the playoff defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Burress announced he would quit the team. On
March 17 ,
2005 , he signed a six-year, $25 million contract with the
New York Giants . The signing came after both the Giants and Burress's agent broke off negotiations, saying there was no deal to be reached.
On
June 2 ,
2005 , a district
Magistrate in
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania issued an
Arrest Warrant for Burress after he failed to appear at a delinquent tax claim hearing. Officials in
Moon Township, Pennsylvania alleged that Burress owed more than US$90,000 in back
Wage Tax es to the municipality. The arrest warrant was later rescinded after the magistrate determined that although Burress lived in a house in Moon Township while playing for the Steelers, his legal residence remained in
Florida and thus he was never subject to the municipality's wage tax.
