Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught a bullet in his leg while fumbling with a gun in the vestibule of a Manhattan nightclub early today, sources said.
The trouble-plagued NFL star blasted himself through his right thigh just after midnight near the VIP entrance to the LQ nightclub on Lexington Avenue and had to be hospitalized, sources said.
Burress, 31, was allegedly inside the hot spot with Burress, 31, was allegedly inside the hot spot with teammate Antonio Pierce when they were confronted by security guards looking for weapons, sources said.
The Super Bowl hero, who nabbed the game-winning catch in the Giants' monumental win over the Patriots in February, admitted to the guards that he was packing heat, sources said.
After moving to a secluded area with a guard, he allegedly took the gun out and started to unload the bullets while drinking a glass of wine.
But the sure-handed wideout began to bobble the firearm, accidentally firing a shot that ripped through his leg but missed the bone.
A source said a guard came over in the aftermath, emptied the gun's chamber and then gave it back to Burress.
Security personnel tried to call an ambulance, but the grid great stopped them.
He was driven to Cornell Medical Center by a friend, who left immediately after dropping him off at around 2 a.m. It's not clear where Burress was in the time between the shooting and arriving at the hospital.
Burress, who was already scratched from today's game against the Redskins because of an injury, was treated and released at 2 p.m. today.
The club did not make a report of the incident, but NYPD detectives were investigating today.
It was not clear what kind of pistol Burress shot himself with or where he got it. He has an expired license to carry a gun in Florida, which would not have allowed him to have one in New York.
The NYPD, along with local police, arrived at Burress' sprawling Totowa, NJ, home at around 4:30 p.m. today.
But wife Tiffany responded through the intercom that "we've been through a lot," and said "you can't talk to my husband."
She then told the officers she needed to get dressed and asked them to wait. After more than 30 minutes, the cops left. They returned shortly before 8 p.m. but there was no answer .
Police sources said a team representative volunteered to take detectives to the weapon, which is believed to be in New Jersey.
Sources said Pierce was the person last seen with the weapon and police were seen arriving at his house tonight.
Team brass were scrambling for answers.
"Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being and, given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital," team officials said in a statement.
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Burress, who signed a $35 million contract with the team in September, has been a big magnet for trouble this season.
He was suspended one game for failing to show up for practice and was also fined $45,000 for verbally abusing an official.
More seriously, cops were twice called to his home on reports of domestic disturbances.
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