Plaxico Burress, released from prison, says he's ready to return to NFL once lockout is resolved

Theodorakis, Andrew/News

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress emerges from Oneida Correctional Facility at 9 a.m. Monday wearing a Philadelphia Phillies hat and declaring himself ready for the NFL.

ROME, N.Y. - At 11:50 a.m. yesterday, the Mitsubishi Diamond private jet taxied on the Griffiss International Airport tarmac, turning left onto the runway in order to face south for takeoff. On board was former Giants wideout Plaxico Burress, released from the nearby Oneida Correctional Facility just under three hours earlier; his wife, Tiffany; their two children, Elijah and Giovanna; and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

From the Air Traffic Control tower above, Bruce Bivins, a 45-year-old operator and life-long Giants fan, radioed to the plane's pilot as the nose lifted into the sky. "Bring him back as a Giant," Bivins said. Burress, 33, departed for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as a free man for the first time in 21 months. The Super Bowl hero pleaded guilty in August 2009 to attempted criminal possession of a weapon after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh with a loaded and unlicensed Glock at the Latin Quarter, a midtown nightclub, on Nov. 29, 2008, just nine months after his big catch against the Patriots. He was released from the medium-security prison three months and four days early, and declared himself ready for the NFL once the lockout is resolved. He will remain under post-release supervision until June 6, 2013.