Sports Radio Interviews

Jeremy Schapp on his Plaxico Burress Interview: ‘All the Things That I Assumed He Would Be Reluctant to Discuss, He Discussed Anyway.’

SRI continues to work in new writers preparing for the upcoming football season. This post is courtesty of Tim Gunter from 790 the Zone in Atlanta.

What kind of person would carry a gun into a club without a holster and shoot himself in the leg?  Plaxico Burress. You might know of him?  He used to play football in the NFL but is now going to serve at least 20 months in jail for attempted criminal possession of a firearm. Plaxico Burress recently sat down with ESPN’s Jeremy Schapp on Sunday to talk about what happened on that November night in Manhattan a year ago. Jeremy Schapp was relentless in his questioning and Plaxico spilled the beans. Plaxico has since hired a prison consultant because he is scared of the maximum security prison that he will now call his home. Hey Plaxico, if you can’t do the time then don’t do the crime. Now the next time I hear the old phrase ‘don’t shoot your self in the foot,’ I will think of Mr. Burress.

Jeremy Schapp joined Mayhem in the AM on WQXI in Atlanta to talk about what he went through to land this exclusive interview with Plaxico, whether it was a good idea for Plaxico to have this interview, whether or not Plaxico was offered a plea deal, and if Plaxico had mentioned playing in the NFL again.

What goes into when you land this exclusive interview with Plaxico Burress?

“Well, its like anything else. You know what its like to when there is somebody you want to talk to you got to find the right way to approach it. Direct approaches, you know Plaxico has certain people that I have known for a long time who are close to him”

Was this a good idea for Plaxico to have this interview before sentencing?

“You know that was certainly the issue for him and I think he had to be careful the way. He expressed before the interview. I had a couple of conversations with him before the interview to ask him to do this. He said ‘I am being sentenced September 22 and there are certain things that I may not be able to fully discuss’. And I said you got to be able to understand that I got to be able to ask you anything. And he says ‘I understand that’ and sure enough all the things that I assumed he would be reluctant to discuss and he would basically take the fifth on, he discussed anyway.”

What was the best case scenario he was offered?

“This is, this is exactly I reported this 4 days after what happened. Sources in the District Attorney’s office in New York told me. Actually sources that just left the District Attorney’s office said ‘best case scenario, they let him plead guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon he gets two years which is exactly what happened. That’s exactly what was reported. There was never any other deal on the table they just spent nine months to try and get them to budge. They never budged. There was no wiggle room whatsoever.”

Did he make mention of playing in the NFL again?

“We talked about that he would probably be just turning 34 before he gets out. He’s a remarkable athlete. He’s got unique gifts. He feels strongly that he will play again in the NFL. I don’t know anything. I am not a general manager. He would have been away from the game for at least 3 years.”

Listen to Jeremy Schapp on 790 the Zone in Atlanta with Morning Mayhem

Tags: Jeremy Schaap interviews Plaxico Burress, Plaxico Burress guilty plea gets 2 years in prison