By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
Manhattan — He had it all - a pregnant wife and adoring son, a New York Giants contract worth tens of millions of dollars and worshipping fans who credited him with winning the 2008 Superbowl.
But, a year after starting a prison sentence for illegal gun possession, Plaxico Burress can't believe his life can get any worse.
"You can't go any lower than being here, other than being in the ground," the receiver told the Daily News in an interview at upstate's Oneida Correctional Facility.
"It's about as tough as it gets on a personal level. You learn a lot about yourself.
"You try to think about the bigger picture, about life outside these walls. You just try to find a way to get through."
The first anniversary of Plaxico's arrival at the prison is this week. Though he was sentenced to two years, he could be released next June.
He has swapped catching winning touchdowns for receiving occasional balls thrown by fellow inmates. He spends his days mopping floors.
The hardest part of his incarceration is trying to explain to his three-year-old son, Elijah, why he isn't in the Giants line-up this year.
"What do I tell him?" Plaxico, 33, asked.
"How am I supposed to answer those questions."
In November 2008, Plaxico went to Manhattan club the Latin Quarter with an illegal firearm tucked into the waistband of his pants.
The gun went off, shooting the star in his thigh.
"I didn't do anything to anybody, I did it to myself," he said.
"I committed a crime, I broke the law. That's why I'm here. I can't do anything about it, so you have to try to change your outlook, think positive things.
"If I'm so intent on going back to that moment, then I'm not making any progress. I'm not moving forward."
He says the best way he can repay the people he disappointed is to get back to playing football.
"I feel I let a lot of kids down," he said.
"It's something I can't erase. All I can do is get back to the football field and play at a high level. That's the only way I can redeem myself.
"I'm not just going to come back and play. I'm going to come back and play at a high level. Nobody is going to be more dedicated than me to getting back to a championship."
