By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Jailed former New York Giant Plaxico Burress was denied work release for a second time by the state corrections department, which decided his crime was too serious to grant him the privilege, the department said Tuesday.
Plaxico, who accidentally shot himself in the thigh with an unregistered firearm at a Manhattan night club in 2008, had applied again to the work release program, which permits eligible state prison inmates to leave their facility for days at a time to work.
"The serious and negative impact illegal guns have on the community coupled with dangerous nature of the weapon discharging in a public place renders him unsuitable for work release participation," Burress' rejection letter, dated Aug. 30, said.
Burress, 33, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to felony gun possession for the November 2008 night club incident that resulted in criminal charges and his termination from the Giants.
The star will be allowed to reapply in June of next year. He has been in custody since his September 2009 sentencing.
According to the New York State Department of Correctional Services, less than one percent of 2009 work release applications were granted.
