In an interview set to air Sunday on CBS, imprisoned Plaxico Burress vows to play in the NFL again and said he apologized to the Giants for tarnishing the organization.
"I will play again," Burress said in the interview with his former Steelers coach Bill Cowher scheduled to air on CBS' "NFL Today", which was conducted from the upstate New York prison where the receiver is currently incarcerated.
Burress said he works out about four times a week in the prison to keep in shape for a possible comeback.
"It's not LA Fitness or Bally's, but I do push-ups, sit-ups," Burress said in the interview. "I make do."
Burress is serving a two-year prison sentence for violating New York's stringent gun laws
Burress said he wrote a letter to the Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, apologizing for his actions.
"I told them how sorry I was about bringing all this bad publicity to such a stand-up organization," Burress said in the interview.
Burress, then a Giants receiver, was at the Latin Quarter nightclub in November 2008 with a .40-caliber gun tucked into the waistband of his track pants. He later said he was concerned for his safety because a teammate had been held up at gunpoint days before. The weapon slipped down Burress' leg and fired, injuring his right thigh.
The gun wasn't licensed in New York or New Jersey, where Burress lived, and his Floridaconcealed-weapons permit had expired. He also failed to report the incident to authorities.
Prosecutors argued the bullet narrowly missed a security guard.
Cowher, who was Burress' coach for five years in Pittsburgh, told the New York Post that he believed the receiver was being sincere in the interview.
"He looked me in the eye. I believe he was sincere," Cowher told the newspaper. "I think I know him well enough to know that ...
"He admittedly blames no one except himself. He's had a lot of time to reflect. He's had great, unwavering support from his wife. ... It's been an eye-awakening situation for him. He had a daughter born when he was in prison. It's very sobering to be in there. When you walk through the door, and you listen to him talk, you can see it's very genuine."
A work-release application for the ex-Giants star was denied by the New York Department of Correctional Services last month because of the nature of his crime. He is expected to be released from prison in July 2011.
Burress became a Super Bowl hero when he caught the winning touchdown pass in the last minute of the Giants' 17-14 upset win over the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants released him last April.
ESPN
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