New York ( CNN ) -- Former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress was released from a New York prison Monday after serving 20 months on a weapons charge stemming from a shooting incident at a nightclub . The former New York Giants player accidentally shot himself in the leg with a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol he was carrying in his waistband . The incident occurred in November 2008 , in the VIP area of the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan . Burress was not licensed to carry a pistol in either New York or New Jersey , where he lived . In August 2009 , he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon and agreed to serve two years under a plea agreement . He spent the last 20 months at the Oneida Correctional Facility in Rome , New York . Burress became a hero to New York Giants fans in the 2008 Super Bowl when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning with 35 seconds remaining in the game . The following season , Burress ' career with the Giants was marred by a series of incidents . He was suspended by the team in early October for missing a practice . Later that month , he was fined $ 45,000 by the NFL after arguing with a referee and throwing a football into the stands . After the nightclub incident , Burress was suspended from the Giants . The team later released him .
NEW : He was released this morning . He accidentally shot himself in the leg while at a Manhattan nightclub . He was not licensed to carry a pistol in New York or New Jersey , where he lived . He pleaded guilty to a gun charge .