Plaxico Burress to Get Bonus, Larry Johnson Not So Lucky

Good news for law-breaking NFL players: you can accidentally shoot a hole in your leg and still collect your signing bonus. Special Master Stephen Burbank ruled last week that former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was due his $1 million bonus because, as the AP reported, money already earned by a player, such as a signing bonus, cannot be forfeited even if the player subsequently gets into trouble.

The extra cash should come in handy for Burress, who can't seem to go more than a week without some sort of legal entanglement. (This assumes, of course, he has any intentions of paying his fines.)

The news is less rosy for Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, however.

...Johnson's future in Kansas City is uncertain because the Chiefs aren't obligated to pay the portion of his contract that is guaranteed over the next two seasons....

[He] can ... keep all the money he's earned so far, though the Chiefs - if they release Johnson - are free from paying him any future money after the running back had two altercations in a nightclub last year.

The NFL disagrees with Burbank's ruling on the grounds that it incorrectly interprets the league's current collective bargaining agreement with players, although there are no plans to appeal.

The AP also points out that this ruling could affect how the Browns deal with Donte Stallworth's contract, specifically a March 13 roster bonus worth $4.5 million. (Stallworth, who killed a pedestrian while driving drunk last month, is still on Cleveland's roster, but it's not clear if the team has already paid his bonus.)

I'd like to think that Burress and Johnson can still play at a high level, but Plax comes with so much baggage he probably scares off a lot of clubs. (That said, it only takes one team to give him another chance to do something idiotic between games.) Johnson has his own at-the-club issues, but he's also a member of the Curse of 370 club which virtually guarantees that his career as a productive NFL back is over.

Although Johnson might lose out on millions because of his off-field behavior and his on-field decline, at least he didn't blow a hole in his thigh. It's all about perspective.