Sep 24, 2008 - 4:25 PM
0 shoutsEAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New York Giants have suspended star wide receiver Plaxico Burress through Week Five due to insubordination.
Burress, who has 18 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown this season, will miss only the Giants' home game on October 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. The reigning Super Bowl champs have a bye this upcoming weekend.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin made the announcement Wednesday morning, stating that Burress has been suspended effective immediately for violating team rules and will not be allowed to rejoin the team until October 6.
Coughlin bristled when asked about the situation during his afternoon press conference, responding that he was "done talking about it" and that it was an "in-house deal."
"This is a family and we are going to stick with each other through the good and the bad," center Shaun O'Hara said. "The only thing I can say is that this team has always handled adversity well and will do the same with this."
According to a report on FOXSports.com, the Giants (3-0) are disciplining Burress for failing to show up for work on Monday and not responding to several phone calls by the team to explain his unexcused absence both Monday and Tuesday.
Burress, who agreed to a five-year, $35 million contract extension with the Giants earlier his month, will not be paid during the suspension. According to NFL.com, Burress plans to file a grievance against the Giants.
"It is what it is," quarterback Eli Manning said. "Obviously the coach and the upper management had to make a decision and the players move on.
"We have to prepare for Seattle. We have guys who can play receiver, we have playmakers who have shown their ability, and guys who earned their spot in preseason and training camp because they were out there and performed well, so we will be fine."
One of New York's most important players, Burress led the Giants with 70 receptions for 1,025 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns last season, despite being unable to practice virtually the entire season because of an ankle injury.
Burress capped off his memorable 2007 season by hauling in the winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining that lifted the Giants to a stunning 17-14 upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
In his first three seasons with the Giants, Burress has 227 receptions for 3,486 yards and 30 touchdowns.
To fill Burress' spot on the active roster, the Giants signed wide receiver Taye Biddle from their practice squad.
Biddle, 25, has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2006, when he had three catches for 37 yards in two contests with the Carolina Panthers.
