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The one time Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday for violating New York’s stringent gun laws and was immediately taken into custody following his hearing.

He agreed to a plea deal last month and pleaded guilty to a lesser firearms charge. The charges stemmed from an incident last fall, in which Plaxico accidentally shot himself at a Manhattan nightclub with a gun that had not been licensed in New York.

Burress is expected to serve about 20 months with credit for good behavior — meaning he could be released as early as the spring of 2011 — followed by two years of probation.

Burress arrived at the courthouse at 9:41 a.m. ET on yesterday wearing a jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, a stark contrast to the dark blue suit he wore last month when he entered his guilty plea.

He was accompanied by his pregnant wife, Tiffany; his almost 3-year-old son, Elijah, whom he carried; his father and stepmother; and his grandmother.

Before the sentencing began, he asked for and was granted permission by Judge Michael Melkonian to say one last goodbye to his wife and family, seated in the fifth row of the courthouse.

Burress apologized to his family and fans and thanked them for their support. “We will all get through this,” he said.

The Giants, through spokesman Pat Hanlon, said, “This has been a tragic, sad, disappointing situation from the beginning. Our concern has always been for Plax’s welfare, and for his family, and that continues to be our overriding feeling.”

Burress was transported to Rikers Island jail in New York, where he arrived at 1:20 p.m. ET, according to Steve Morello, a deputy commissioner with the New York City Department of Corrections. He will later be transferred to another correctional facility for processing before being sent to one of New York state’s 34 medium-security prisons to serve out his sentence.

The Giants released Burress in April, but the 32-year-old told ESPN he hopes to resume his NFL career when he completes his sentence.

“When I get out, I’ll be 33, not 43,” Burress said in an interview broadcast in August. “I’ll still be able to run and catch. I’ll still have the God-given ability to snag footballs; that’s what I love to do. Of course, I want to play again.”