Just under a year ago, Plaxico Burress stood at the top of the New York sports world.

He caught the winning touchdown in the most-watched Super Bowl ever, capping off a victory that he predicted for his underdog New York Giants and putting an end to the New England Patriots’ quest to become the first team ever to go 19-0.

Not only was Burress suddenly considered one of the NFL’s most elite offensive weapons, he grew instant fame and was eventually rewarded with a five-year contract worth $35 million.

Seven months and an ill-fated trip to a midtown Manhattan club later, Burress’s mega-contract and marketability are in serious jeopardy. It remains to be seen if Burress will play again for the NFL and experts say he faces daunting odds at rehabilitating his image despite examples of other high-profile athletes making comebacks.

“He had a pretty good shot at being one of the most marketable players,” said Matt Delzell, senior client director with Davie Brown Talent. “Now he’s set himself incredibly far back.”

After accidentally shooting himself in the thigh last weekend, police charged Burress with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, the charges could result in a sentence of 3 ½ years to 15 years.

In response, the Giants effectively ended Burress’s season, suspending him for the rest of the season and making him ineligible for the playoffs.

“I think his tenure with the Giants could be done,” said Scott Minto, director of San Diego State University’s Sports Business MBA Program. “This could be pretty devastating to his football career.”

In addition to this incident, the Giants suspended Burress for two games and fined him $117,500 earlier this season for failing to notify the team before missing a meeting. He was also fined $45,000 by the NFL for abusing an official.

“If it was a one-time thing, people may forget about it pretty quickly but there’s been successive issues with him that have continually knocked him down,” said Delzell.

It’s clear the incident will cost Burress even more money. From his suspension alone, he will likely lose $8 million, or about $206,000 for each regular season game he misses. Also, a $1 million signing-bonus payment slated to be paid Dec. 10 could be in jeopardy.

“There’s a growing perception that he’s selfish," said Delzell. “To be honest, he wasn’t the most marketable player to begin with.”

There is a clear precedent for athletes who have seen their career and image rebound after facing legal trouble.

Ray Lewis, the defensive leader of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, plead guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges related to a 2000 murder case but ended up with endorsement deals from Reebok (RBK: 23.88, +0.03, +0.13%) and Under Armour (UA: 18.53, -0.56, -2.93%), as well as on the cover of Madden NFL 2005, the popular football game by Electronic Arts (ERTS: 51.58, -0.43, -0.83%).

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant returned to the top of the basketball world even after a 2003 sexual assault case tainted his image. Despite the blemish, Bryant ranks second in NBA endorsement deals behind only Cleveland Cavaliers guard LeBron James, bringing in a reported $16 million last year through deals with Nike (NKE: 44.65, -1.49, -3.23%) and Coca-Cola’s (KO) Sprite.

“The past few years have shown corporations, as well as fans and franchises, are extremely forgiving of athletes,” said Minto. “Everyone thought Kobe’s marketability was shot…but he’s got the top selling jersey in the NBA right now.”

It remains to be seen if Burress will enjoy the same fate.

“For Plaxico Burress, it will be an uphill battle,” said Minto.