I wonder though if any of you giving outs to Burress would feel any different if the 'private property' in question wasn't corporate property but was actually an individual Patriot's fan's property who happened to work there and brought it in for his own personal use.
Okay, first of all, I CAN NOT see the difference (heat of the game, months later, etc etc etc) between the two.
Or rather I can see that I "can" see the difference. Nobody in SD, obviously, can see the difference.
The basic category is: generally taunting the enemy.
Now, if you announced ahead of time "taunting the enemy is okay up until a certain amount of time has passed," etc., then we have the possibility of an objective determination. But nobody has so codified the "rules" of "class."
The Chargers especially have talked a blue streak about "class" regarding the Patriots. I hear "Wahhhhhhh." I think this applies regarding all these questions.
As to this emphasis on "private property," I would suggest you check ebay to determine the comparative value of property so defaced by a sports superstar versus the value of said property in pristine condition.
Were the property actually owned by a Pats fan, I would recommend that said individual make use of the courts, or, if he fears that litigation will favor the wealthy, that he cleverly divest himself of the pristine, superstar-signed property, and use the proceeds to purchase a pristine seat, pocketing the difference for his time, trouble and frustration.
PFnV