$100,000 bail posted as Burress drama continues
Embattled New York Giants star Plaxico Burress was arrested and handcuffed like a common criminal Monday, and now two others could be charged for trying to cover up the incident: teammate Antonio Pierce and a hospital official who ignored the law by not calling police, several police and law enforcement sources said.
“We are investigating both the hospital’s failure to report the shooting and Antonio Pierce’s role that evening,” Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD’s top spokesman, said after Burress surrendered and was charged with gun possession for accidentally shooting himself at Manhattan’s Latin Quarter nightclub.
Day 3 of the Burress saga started with his morning surrender at the 17th Precinct, with the mercurial wide receiver stepping out of a Cadillac Escalade and showing no sign he had suffered a bullet wound to his thigh early Saturday.
Later, with tourists and passers-by gawking, Burress was led to Central Booking and then escorted into a courtroom, where, with his wife, Tiffany, in attendance, he was arraigned on gun possession charges and released after posting $100,000 bond.
Pierce, meanwhile, seemed confident he did nothing wrong. “I don’t see myself getting arrested,” he said Monday in an interview on WFAN radio.
•Browns take another hit: Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson will miss the final four games of the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee on Sunday against Indianapolis.
The Browns (4-8) will start third-stringer Ken Dorsey on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans (11-1).
•Former Badger charged: Leonard Taylor Jr., 32, a former Wisconsin football player, was charged with threatening athletic director Barry Alvarez, tennis star Maria Sharapova and their families.
“Monday Night Football”
Texans’ debut a winner
Mario Williams, Steve Slaton and Houston put on quite a show in their “Monday Night Football” debut.
Williams had a season-high three sacks and forced a fumble and Slaton ran for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Texans to a 30-17 win over the slumping Jaguars in Houston.
Andre Johnson added a TD reception and Kris Brown kicked three field goals in the win, a highlight in Houston’s disappointing season so far.
Basketball
Comets shutting down
WNBA president Donna Orender told Houston television station KRIV that the league-owned Houston Comets would be shut down because new owners couldn’t be found.
•Celtics stump Magic: Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter to lead the Boston Celtics to their ninth straight win, 107-88 over the Orlando Magic in Boston.
•Richardson leads Bobcats: Jason Richardson scored 25 points in another strong performance following arthroscopic knee surgery, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-90 in Charlotte, N.C.
•Badgers dodge loss: Trevon Hughes hit a leaning floater in the lane with 0.9 seconds left and the No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1) survived a furious Virginia Tech (4-3) rally to win 74-72 in the opener of the 10th Annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
•McGrady to miss time: Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady is expected to be out at least a week with soreness in his left knee stemming from offseason surgery.
Hockey
Red Wings rally
Marian Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings held on to beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in Detroit. Johan Franzen also scored for Detroit and Chris Osgood made 15 saves.
•Avalanche bury Wild: Paul Stastny had two goals and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche broke out for a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minn.