By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Burress was released Monday morning
• Burress 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
• Burress pleaded guilty to a weapons charge

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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.