Assuming Burress gets off without jail time and without a league suspension, the Giants should cut him unless he fires Drew Rosenhaus immediately and repudiates the Rosenhaus' email asking for a trade.

Initially I was for the Giants keeping Burress provided he was a model citizen and showed the proper contrition for accidentally shooting himself in the leg with an unlicensed weapon in a nightclub. Yes, he was an idiot for doing that, but it's not significantly worse than a DUI and less serious than getting in trouble for domestic violence. So it wasn't the offense itself that troubled me so much as the effect his injury and suspension had on the team.

Before the incident the Giants were widely considered the best team in the NFL, having won in Pittsburgh, in Arizona and blown out Baltimore at home. It's impossible to say how the Giants would have done with a healthy Burress for the stretch run and playoffs, but it's certainly plausible they would have advanced and even won the Super Bowl.

For that reason alone - Burress should feel horrible - that he might have cost his teammates and organization (which rewarded him with a 5-year, $35 million extension) the chance to repeat as champs. And anyone with any class or integrity would want to make it up to them by giving everything he had in 2009 to help the Giants get back there. That he would let his scumbag agent circulate an email indicating he'd like to be traded is offensive and shows that he lacks true contrition for his actions. Because it's not about sucking up to the media, the authorities and the public for doing something illegal a la Mike Phelps - it's about making good on your mistake toward the people you have actually harmed (teammates and family).

So while Giants GM Jerry Reese said today he'd take Burress back, I think that would be a mistake unless Burress demonstrates that he understands what he did to the team. Firing his agent and repudiating the trade request email would be the necessary first step.