Mike Freeman Wants Plaxico Pardoned
Legal, NFL, Politics August 27th. 2009, 3:45pm
That’s CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman’s opinion. In a column/letter directed at Governor David Patterson, he pleads with the head of New York to give “Gunsmoke” a free pass. (Do people call him that? I’ve never heard that. Did I miss that?) Onto the words!
There are several things those of us in the Free Plax Movement (or FPM) will immediately grant you, governor. Burress isn’t smarter than a fifth-grader. Burress is the kind of meathead seen once in a millennium, like a rare comet sighting. Only someone with the IQ of Kim Kardashian’s rear end would ever shoot himself in the foot.
But as legal analyst Roger Cossack stated after Gunsmoke’s two-year jail term was recently announced: Jail should be for criminals, not stupid people.
Well, many times criminals are stupid people. Either way, Plaxico was treated differently.
He was railroaded with the help of the mayor of New York. The most troublesome aspect to the Burress case is the actions and words of the arrogant millionaire blowhard bully, Michael Bloomberg, who poisoned public opinion with his pleas that Burress should, in Bloombully’s words, go to the slammer.
It would be an outrage, Bloombully screamed, if Burress received special treatment. Yet isn’t that exactly what Burress received, governor? Wasn’t he punished more harshly because of his celebrity status?
That’s all I’ll copy and paste for you. Feel free to read the entire thing and either nod in agreement or get riled up. I kind of nodded in agreement despite the jokey tone of the letter. Do what you wish. The choices are yours and yours alone.
91 Responses to “Mike Freeman Wants Plaxico Pardoned”
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August 27th, 2009 at 3:50 PM
He got less than the mandatory minimum for what he did. Does that compute Mike Freeman?
August 27th, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Only someone with the IQ of Kim Kardashian’s rear end…
is he talking about Plax or the idiot that might decide to pardon him?
Hhe’s not getting pardoned becaue then they’d have to pardon every other guy charged w/ the same crime & got 3.5 years. The sentence is too long, but until they change the law, they can’t do anything
August 27th, 2009 at 3:52 PM
and jail is for people who BREAK THE LAW. If you don’t like the law (and I don’t like a bunch of them) bitch about that, write your congressman, scream loud and long before something you would disagree with (like Plax’s completely reasonable sentence under the law) happens. Don’t complain about a special case for one guy and leave every other person convicted of Plax’s crime out in the cold.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:56 PM
Hey pal, leave your logic at the keyboard. Where the fuck do you think you are? This is the internet. Ignorance and knee jerk reactions are the law of the land around here.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Jail should be for criminals, not stupid people.
That statement gets the purple ribbon for Most Ignorant Shit I’ve Read Today.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:05 PM
i felt terrible for plax in the e:60 interview. He’s gotta kid due in Thanksgiving, he made a horrible mistake, he recognizes it and he’s getting two years for shooting himself in the leg, This is rediculous. The mandatory minimum laws are a fucking joke. Who the hell is to give mandatory minimums without recognizing the situation and circumstances first. The judge is referred to as a judge for a reason. They make judgements on the case and sentence accordingly to the circumstances of facts that happened. Cossack said it correctly, bad people go to jail, not stupid people. Plax may be an ass and broke the law, but two years is insane.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Cossack said it several times on ESPN, KC. I shook my head each time I heard it. I still have a crook in my neck.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:07 PM
plaxico should be freed simply because i’m a bears fan and him coming to the bears would be awesome.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:07 PM
maybe but i dont think paolo has commented yet
August 27th, 2009 at 4:09 PM
That statement gets the purple ribbon for Most Ignorant Shit I’ve Read Today.
maybe but i dont think paolo has commented yet
yeah but Mike Freeman got PAID to write that. Paolo and the rest of us do it out of love
August 27th, 2009 at 4:11 PM
This guy
should not have gotten jail time, he’s just stupid.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:11 PM
I would give him the pardon if he donated several million bucks to charity. Yeah, he’d be buying his way out of it. But Plax isn’t exactly a threat to society. If anything, his case would still be a deterrent–the average jackass needs to stay on the straight and narrow since he can’t buy his way out.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:13 PM
From Andre Iguodala’s Twitter:
Ummm who tweets that they just dropped a fat deuce?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:13 PM
i hate mike freeman.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:13 PM
Yeah he has, he’s just been hiding in old posts. He goes back from time to time to yell at shadows in the day before’s posts. You’ll see his name pop up from time to time in the recent comments gadget on the right sidebar.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Damn good column, Mike. Damn good.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Plax isn’t exactly a threat to society
Exactly, he’s a fuckin idiot and for him to go to Ryker’s island for two years with murders and rapists is unfathomable. i’m not threatened by having Plaxico live in my neighborhood.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Not the same thing at all.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:14 PM
@ Makblunt
That’s exactly the guy who SHOULD get jail time. If you’re stabbing a guy over the punting job at Northern Colorado, who knows what kind of crap you’ll try in the real world?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:15 PM
Whitlock did a nice piece on Coach “Pimpino”
August 27th, 2009 at 4:16 PM
That was a wierd presser if I’ve ever seen one. His lawyers could not have been happy about it.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:18 PM
@Whitlock – How come you didn’t get in on the fat girl discussion in the PM Roundup?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:18 PM
Here is the link to the Whitlock piece.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9992548/Pitino’s-latest-ploy-shows-what-a-playa-he-is
August 27th, 2009 at 4:19 PM
LOOK! A BLUE CAR!
Wait, what were we talking about?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:19 PM
Do you think he should be pardoned Whitlock? While I do agree with Freeman that Bloomberg should have shut his mouth, the dude broke a law. Are mandatory minimums dumb? Of course they are. But the law is there and Plax could have done a 2 minute google search to find out that his carrying of the pistol was illegal.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:20 PM
Whitlock in the house!
August 27th, 2009 at 4:21 PM
cbssports has some of the worst columnists on the planet, looking at you Doyel/Dodd/Freeman/et al.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:22 PM
i’m not threatened by having Plaxico live in my neighborhood.
you wouldn’t be
August 27th, 2009 at 4:22 PM
It’s not, I just remembered that guy when I hear that quote. Still, what if the bullet didn’t hit Plax. What if it ricocheted off the floor and struck someone else? Only then he should get jail time? Point is, don’t bring a gun to the club, period. If you think you need a gun to go to the club either:
a. stay home
7. hire a bodyguard
August 27th, 2009 at 4:23 PM
I enjoy reading comments that ended at 8:52 a.m. earlier that day but a five paragraph Paulo comment at 6:39 p.m.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:23 PM
What is the legal definition of stupid? Drunk driving is stupid, but I’m pretty sure it is still against the law.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Agreed. When you make the kind of money that these guys make, bringing a gun with you is a lose-lose situation. Hire someone of you feel you’re in danger.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:26 PM
I enjoy reading comments that ended at 8:52 a.m. earlier that day but a five paragraph Paulo comment at 6:39 p.m.
That’s hilarious.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:28 PM
He dropped one in the AM Roundup this morning. And he sounded just like miz’s impression, which I found really funny.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:28 PM
I really am not a big fan of his.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Miz’s post was money.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:30 PM
So if you’re wife hires someone to kill you, and they cops know, they should probably wait until after you’re shot dead, because you know, he MIGHT not do it. I’ve seen enough episodes of Cops to know you dont actually have to sleep with a prostitute to be charged with solicitation, even though you MIGHT not go through with it. I MIGHT not sell that 5 pounds of Coke officer, thats personal use.
Let him go free and he MIGHT take a gun to a club again, do 2 years and I guaranfuckingtee he wont.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:30 PM
Apparently, his “I hate Duke and Coach K” bias makes alot of fans.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:30 PM
because a legal system openly set up so that rich people can buy their way out of crime isn’t scary as fuck. I prefer the under the table way we do things right now thank you very much.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:31 PM
cbssports has some of the worst columnists on the planet, looking at you Doyel/Dodd/Freeman/et al
better not say Gary Parrish or Hernia will be pissed
August 27th, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Boom goes the dynamite, bitches. Great post.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:33 PM
where’s miz post?
/I still have paolo ADD
August 27th, 2009 at 4:33 PM
I do like his stuff though.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:33 PM
The judge did nothing except a plea deal which Plaxico willingly and freely agreed upon.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:34 PM
You’re right, but if the mandatory min’s weren’t in place the starting point for a sentence would most likely not have been 3.5 years.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:35 PM
August 27th, 2009 at 4:36 PM
+ threeve
August 27th, 2009 at 4:38 PM
@ taguchi
I think there’s a slight difference between a guy buying his way out of a case like this and a murder rap. And I’d rather have the payoffs be entirely out in the open.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:42 PM
are the same people who complain about celebrities and athletes always getting off easy the same people who are complaining that Plax should get a lighter sentence?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:44 PM
-500 The difference between these scenarios and Plax is intent. The person seeking out a hitman is intending to have someone killed. The person looking to get a prostitute is looking to get his knob slobbed. Plax wasn’t intending to shoot anyone.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:45 PM
Barkley was named USC starter today per ESPN.com and Vick is suppoed to play in the 1st QTR accoring to ESPN.com. Is the Eagles game on TV tonight?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Bingo.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Plax got a raw deal. He had no intent to hurt anyone. I can’t help but think if he was a nice white player he would have been slapped on the wrists. The only reason he got royally screwed is because bloomberg grandstanded. How the fuck can you punish someone who over a technicality??? He didn’t pull the gun
August 27th, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Big difference, no doubt. But if the point of the law is to protect the citizen then you start making exceptions for the rich then the law isn’t a for protection anymore, it’s for extortion. And as we’ve seen in the myriad search and seizure cases throughout the country the cops have no compunction about taking your shit. Whose to say that they wouldn’t begin targeting celebrities because the state needs the money?
August 27th, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Yeah, Plax didn’t intend to shoot anyone. But he didn’t go to jail for shooting anyone. I haven’t read the statute he violated, but I assume it’s something along the lines of, “You can’t take a firearm into a public place.” And he obviously did INTEND to do that.
I personally think the 3.5 mandatory minimum for that is absurd, but it’s still the law, and he should have known. So while abstractly I think getting 2 years for what he did is silly, I don’t think he got screwed.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:53 PM
what’s your intent if you carry a loaded gun into a crowded nightclub? please enlighten me with a scenario that doesn’t end up with trying to hurt someone or intimidate someone with the threat of hurting them with the gun.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:55 PM
This isn’t a law that requires intent (like many laws). Just like (insert Islamic name) didn’t intend on using that vest bomb while walking around Times Square, he was totally just carrying it for protection.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:56 PM
I’m hardly a card carrying member of the NRA, but I would venture to say that most people who carry, especially legally, don’t carry with the intent to hurt anyone.
August 27th, 2009 at 4:56 PM
You’re an idiot.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:01 PM
Damn, kind of a raw deal for Corp. Guy gets a little dinged up and doesn’t really get a chance to get his job back. I just went to SI, and I love Mandel, but…well, I guess the season is almost here, let the Tebow slobbering begin.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:01 PM
I didn’t mention intent in relation to the law, I mentioned it in relation to your comparison of Plax’s situatuion with the other scenarios you presented.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:02 PM
I agree with Mike.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:02 PM
They’re insecure.
While I do think Plaxico’s reputation did not help him, I have to side with Mike on this one.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:04 PM
what’s your intent if you carry a loaded gun into a crowded nightclub? please enlighten me with a scenario that doesn’t end up with trying to hurt someone or intimidate someone with the threat of hurting them with the gun.
Protection, he said something in his interview about how they picked up Bradshaw at the neighborhood that Steve Smith was robbed in and he was paranoid. Plax wasn’t going into the club to shoot it up, he had it for protection and prolly felt gangsta carrying around a piece. Do you really thing he had it on him to use it for no reason at all? No, he was paranoid and stupid and thought he needed it because there are nuts out there who will do anything to celebrities to get their mug on the news
August 27th, 2009 at 5:07 PM
I would bet my bottom dollar that Carroll wasn’t exactly upset when Corp went down for a week or so. Barkley is his guy (he is supposed to be a freak) and Carroll would love to have a golden boy starting for 3-4 years at QB. USC is going to be a machine next year.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:07 PM
This. I really don’t know how you could think differently about it.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:07 PM
No, he was paranoid and stupid and thought he needed it because there are nuts out there who will do anything to celebrities to get their mug on the news
THEN STAY THE FUCK HOME. He’d be playing right now w/ the Giants if he had
August 27th, 2009 at 5:10 PM
How much did he have in the bank? Is it too difficult to hire a bodyguard? Sure, it’s a hassel, but if you are fearful for your life I think it would be wise investment. Of course athletes and wise investments don’t always go together I suppose.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:12 PM
Loved that excuse. Here is what happened:
“He said to him, ‘Give me everything you got,’ and Mr. Smith turned over his jewelry and money and cell phone,” Rowan said Tuesday.
WOW. I bet if he had been packing and traded shots with the robber, that would have totally made the situation better.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Jimmy Clausen?
/I know ND isn’t USC, but I heard the same things about him
August 27th, 2009 at 5:16 PM
The differene is that Clausen sucked balls in a number of camps but because he had the backing of all of the recruiting sites his name was still atop all of the lists. Barkley is a freak and though he will have his struggles as a true freshman, he will be a monster in year #2. That and USC coaches are actually good at their jobs as opposed to Notre Dame.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Charles Augusto wholeheartedly agrees with you.
/that guy is me hero
August 27th, 2009 at 5:18 PM
I agree. I always think the same thing when someone shoots up a school and all of the pro-gun folks use that as a platform to try and get more guns in people’s hands. That’s what we need, more people who think they are a great shot because they passed a weekend course. What they fail to realize is that the weekend course doesn’t shoot back.
/gets off of soap box
August 27th, 2009 at 5:19 PM
didnt barkley suck his senior year though?
August 27th, 2009 at 5:22 PM
I think I remember hearing that he struggled, but I can’t remember.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:25 PM
kind of cool though, #1 national QB prospects in the last 2 classes play each other
August 27th, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Very cool. I bet Spencer is very happy to have a true frehsy play his second game in the Shoe. I think Ohio State’s chances just got a lot better.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:33 PM
barkleys supposed to have a great arm so he’ll probably torch osu deep a couple times. just hoping he throws a few picks too.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:34 PM
barkley sucked but im pretty sure he was hurt all year.
id be excited if it wasn’t barkley…he’s going to be obscenely good. like, 4-years of carson palmer good. usc will have the crystal football before barkley gets drafted 1st overall…not a huge stretch by any means, but the kid is fucking awesome.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:38 PM
palmer was considered a disappointment until his senior year
August 27th, 2009 at 5:50 PM
I assure u I’m not an idiot. I just feel that plaxicos past ( being late all the time, high profile WR, etc) played a much larger part in this than his actual crime, which was not registering a gun and carrying it. For a first time offense in a state he doesn’t live in he loses 2 yeArs of his life. That’s pretty ridiculous
August 27th, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Sorry I’m late to this comment party, but I’ll say my expected part:
Mike Freeman has an angle–he’s looking for access to a Drew Rosenhaus client. Maybe an exclusive? Or a book deal?
August 27th, 2009 at 6:17 PM
i overheard the DA saying “if only he wouldn’t have been late to work and played a different position we could let him off…..if only.” so you have a point.
/no you don’t have a point
August 27th, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Garrett Gilbert > Matt Barkley
August 27th, 2009 at 7:29 PM
You can argue the law is ridiculous, but it requires three and a 1/2 years for Plaxico’s offense. he got two. He was punished LESS HARSHLY THAN REQUIRED BY LAW.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:29 PM
And I know no one will ever read this, but I still don’t understand what is so hard to understand about this situation.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:36 PM
And I know no one will ever read this, but I still don’t understand what is so hard to understand about this situation.
I’m a nobody, so I read it. The reason? People let emotion cloud their thought of seeing beyond the fact that there was a LAW broken. Doesn’t matter what he “intended” to do, or that the time served is too long. It’s the punishment for the law he broke (unregistered gun, not that he shot himself)
August 27th, 2009 at 7:39 PM
And I know no one will ever read this, but I still don’t understand what is so hard to understand about this situation.
I would have read it, but it sounds whiny.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:39 PM
Gilbert Grape > Garrett Gilbert > Matt Barkley
I dont know either Taguchi, I just dont know.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:42 PM
Charles Barkley > Gale Gilbert
August 28th, 2009 at 8:20 AM
You want to argue that the NYC gun laws are draconian? Ridiculous? Swatting flies with sledgehammer? Fine. You know what the NYC gun laws aren’t?
A SECRET.
Plax got less than the mandatory minimum sentence (and if certain stories are true, turned down a deal for even less) for an offense widely known for having stiff penalties. How the f$CK can anyone call his treatment “unfair”?
Not to mention, frankly, that kind of stupidity (bringing an unsecured gun to a public place and shooting yourself in violation of every gun safety procedure there is) should be punishable by jail time. I got no sympathy for Plax and no love for those that have it.