Tale of two men.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Biography)

Plaxico Burress and Francis Lewis, two prominent residents of the state of New York, lived three centuries apart. Burress is a New York Giants football player, and he was the star of football's Superbowl XLII, catching the winning touchdown for the Giants against the New England Patriots last year. Lewis was one of our Founding Fathers, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and a congressional representative. In many ways the two men are very different. Yet both surprisingly share several common threads beyond somewhat unusual names.

For example, both had very modest beginnings. Francis Lewis was born in Wales in 1713, and orphaned early in life. Rising above his circumstances, he became a successful merchant. Even though shipwrecked twice off the Irish Coast, Lewis survived and succeeded in foreign trade, traveling much of the world by sea. In the New World, while serving England in the war with the French and Indians, he was captured by General Montcalm. who violated a surrender agreement and turned him over to the Indians to torture and kill. He survived by skillful negotiation in Welsh, a language providentially similar to the Indians" dialect.

Burress was born in Virginia into a single-parent home and never met his absentee father until he was 21. When his morn died when he was 24, he undertook the responsibility of taking care of his younger brothers, Ricardo and Carlos, while living with five of his childhood friends--all of whom are now dead or in jail.

Burress attended Michigan State, where he excelled as a football player, and entered professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pennsylvania in the 2000 NFL draft. He became a starter in 2001. He had subsequent legal encounters with tax authorities while living in Pennsylvania and Florida, but those did not result in any convictions. Certainly a flamboyant and vocal player, he quit the Steelers after a disappointing season in January 2005 and signed a contract in March of that year with the New York Giants. It is here he found his greatest moments in Superbowl XLII.

Both men came to New York from elsewhere, yet resided in the state during the performance of their most prominent deeds. Additionally, both experienced deep personal problems in the Empire State. In 1775, during the War for Independence, Lewis' home on Long Island was plundered by a party of British soldiers. His extensive library was destroyed, and his wile was taken prisoner. She was closely confined in horrible conditions for months, without a bed or change of clothes. Her confinement destroyed her health, and she died about a year later. Lewis' later life was spent in poverty, his fortune sacrificed in his patriotism.

Burress' current troubles began when he imprudently handled a 9mm handgun while seated in a New York nightclub. This resulted in an accidental discharge, striking Burress in the thigh. No one else was hurt. A friend and fellow player, linebacker Antonio Pierce, transported him to a hospital where a team doctor treated his wound. Subsequently, Burress was suspended from the Giants and was charged with "possession of an illegal firearm." Burress gained ...