Controversial NFL star Plaxico Burress puts 2008 Super Bowl ring up for auction
New York Giants hero Plaxico Burress has put his Super Bowl XLII ring on the auction block just days before this year’s championship game.
Burress, whose career was mired with legal troubles, help stop the New England Patriots from joining the 1972 Dolphins as the only undefeated Super Bowl champions with his game-winning catch in 2008.
Burress had been the top receiver for the Giants throughout the 2007 regular season, notching 70 receptions for 1,025 yards despite an ankle injury that barred him from most team practices.
With just 35 seconds left on the clock, Burress caught a 13-yard pass from Eli Manning to defeat Tom Brady’s Patriots at Super Bowl XLII in what is widely considered one of the biggest championship upsets of all time.
His ring, sold by Heritage Auctions, is crafted entirely from white gold and genuine diamonds.
The description reads: “Three Lombardi Trophies, representing each Super Bowl victory for the franchise, adorn the face along with the team's ‘NY’ logo and the words ‘World Champions’ in raised text. Left shank provides the logo of Super Bowl XLII, the date and the score, ‘NYG 17, NE 14.’ Right shank announces original owner's name and jersey number along with the logo of the NFL and a mention of the difficult path to glory: ‘Eleven Straight Wins on the Road.’
“The ring survives with light wear in its original wooden hinged display box and cardboard Tiffany packaging and measures to approximately size eleven, but two small spherical sizers have been soldered to the interior to reduce the size to an effective eight. Weight is seventy-four grams. Interior band is stamped ‘Tiffany & Co. .585,’ the digits indicating fourteen karat gold.”
The current bid stands at $55,000 with 14 days to go. Heritage Auctions has set its estimate at $100,000 and up.
For those worried about the ring’s provenance, it includes a signed letter dated 11/16/2024 from Burress that attests: "I received this actual ring as a member of the New York Giants who won Super Bowl XLII held February 3, 2008, against the New England Patriots in Phoenix, AZ. I further certify this ring is the one and only ring and that no duplicate copies were produced.”
Burress told Giants.com in 2014 that he had worn the ring just “five or six times.”
Just months after his Super Bowl victory, Burress suffered an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg while carrying a concealed handgun at a New York City nightclub.
The incident led to significant legal issues because he did not have a valid permit to carry the firearm in New York. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and eventually pleaded guilty, resulting in a two-year prison sentence. Burress served 20 months and was released in 2011.
In 2015, he was indicted for failing to pay state taxes in New Jersey. He received a conditional 364-day jail sentence, was placed on probation for five years, and was ordered to repay $56,000 in penalties and restitution to the state.
He now co-hosts FOX Sports Radio’s Up On Game weekend show and owns a juice bar in Wayne, New Jersey.
