EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Plaxico Burress arrived at Giants Stadium on Tuesday, facing the possibility that his career with the Super Bowl champions could be over and he could land in jail after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh at a nightclub.

The star receiver drove up to the stadium tunnel, one day after he was charged with illegal gun possession. Burress was required to report Tuesday because he is on the active roster and injured.

Burress shot himself in the right thigh at a Manhattan nightclub over the weekend in a case that has angered the mayor of New York.

Police were still searching Tuesday for more answers from teammate Antonio Pierce and the hospital that treated Burress. Pierce was with Burress at the nightclub, and police want to know what the linebacker did moments after the shooting and whether he helped cover up what happened.

Police expressed frustration with the NFL and Giants officials, saying they were promised Pierce would appear Monday at the same police precinct where Burress surrendered but Pierce didn’t show.

“It was a universe of silence after this shooting,” New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

The hospital that treated Burress also has come under scrutiny. New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center said officials “take this very seriously, and are conducting a thorough investigation into why this gunshot wound was not reported to the police department in a timely fashion.”

Myrna A. Manners, the hospital’s vice president for public affairs, told The New York Times that a person responsible for not reporting the gunshot wound had been suspended.

And Burress isn’t the only Giant involved in gun-related violence recently.

According to Clifton, N.J., police, second-year receiver Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint in the early hours of Nov. 25 after arriving home.

Smith had just returned to his townhouse in a chauffer-driven car when he was approached from behind by man who held a gun to Smith’s head, Clifton police Capt. Robert Rowan said.

“He said to him, ‘Give me everything you got,’ and Mr. Smith turned over his jewelry and money and cell phone,” Rowan said Tuesday.

The man left the scene and is still being sought, Rowan said. It was unclear if Smith’s driver was at the townhouse during the hold-up.

Burress’ trouble came just 10 months after he made the winning catch in the Super Bowl. But on Monday, Burress was hauled out of a police precinct in handcuffs facing two weapons charges.

Burress posted $100,000 bail and was told by the judge that his next appearance won’t be until March 31. In the meantime, the Giants and the NFL will have to make a decision about what to do with the troublesome wide receiver.

The 31-year-old player did not say anything in court Monday and did not make a statement to police when booked at a midtown precinct. His lawyer stressed that Burress is innocent until proven guilty and denied Burress took part in any cover-up.

“He is standing tall. He is a mature adult,” said Benjamin Brafman, his defense lawyer. “I think any professional athlete in this situation would be concerned.”

The case drew the wrath of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said it would be an outrage “if we didn’t prosecute to the fullest extent of the law” and lashed out at the hospital for allegedly failing to report the shooting to the authorities.

Burress shot himself in the right thigh in the VIP section of the Latin Quarter nightclub about 1 a.m. Saturday, police said. He did not have a permit to carry a handgun in New York.

A witness reported hearing a popping sound before Burress’ legs began to shake, according to a criminal complaint. It said the person saw a bloody pistol fall out of his pant leg and land on the floor before Burress said, “Take me to a hospital.”

Burress was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which could result in a prison sentence of 3½ years to 15 years if he is convicted.

Originally, police said that running back Derrick Ward was with Burress and Pierce at the club, relying on information given to them from security guards at the club. But police said later it was unclear if Ward was at the club, and the running back strongly denied he was.

Police said that the Giants have sent a member of their medical staff to the precinct who may be able to shed some light on what transpired the night of the shooting, and presumably to relay Pierce’s version of events.

Pierce declined to provide specifics about the incident Monday during a radio interview, but said that many facts of the case have been “misconstrued” and “distorted.” He said he has hired an attorney but that he doesn’t see himself being arrested.

“Today has been a headache and that’s about all I can say,” he told WFAN.

The Giants released a statement disputing the police’s version of their involvement.

“We are working closely with the police and NFL Security,” it said. “In the early hours of Saturday morning, as we started to get a sense of what we were dealing with, we did, in fact, notify NFL Security, which then contacted the police.”

The Giants have not decided what to do with Burress, who was suspended for a game and fined for missing a team meeting in September. New York could suspend him again or deactivate him for Sunday’s home game against the Eagles. The Giants could go as far as releasing Burress, but that would put a strain on the team’s salary cap next season.