Burress turns himself in

Burress: Charges

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Plaxico Burress has appeared in court to answer two charges of illegal firearms possession stemming from an incident in which he accidentally shot himself in a nightclub.

The New York Giants receiver walked into a Manhattan police station with his lawyer and surrendered on Monday, according to a spokeswoman for the city's police department.

A judge at Manhattan's Criminal Court subsequently set bail at $100,000 and ordered Burress to attend a hearing on March 31, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office added.

Television footage showed Burress wearing a dark suit with an open-necked white shirt as he was led from the police station to court in handcuffs.

The player's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said that his client would enter a not guilty plea.

Burress apparently shot himself accidentally in the right leg whilst attending New York's Latin Quarter nightclub on Friday.

Police said Burress had gone to the VIP section of the club with a drink when his pistol, tucked into the waistband of his trousers, discharged.

According to the criminal complaint, an investigating detective said that an "informant then observed defendant's legs begin to shake and as defendant's legs were shaking, informant observed a pistol fall out of defendant's pant leg to the floor.

"Informant further observed that there was blood on said pistol."

However, the bullet did not hit bone or arteries.

Future

The defending Super Bowl champions have not yet said how the incident will affect the future of the 31-year-old, who caught the winning pass in their late victory against the New England Patriots in January.

He signed a $35 million, five-year contract with the NFL team this season.

"Discussions will be ongoing," Giants coach Tom Coughlin told television station NY1.