Ex-NFL player gets 7-month sentence on tax charge

A former National Football League player has received a seven-month prison sentence for failing to file a federal income tax return for 2005, when he earned $5.5 million. Thirty-three-year-old William James of Brownsville, Pa., was formerly known as William J. Peterson. He had already spent four months in custody, leaving him with three months to serve. James played in the NFL from 2001 to 2010. He spent most of his time with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles but also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. A judge in Camden, N.J., on Thursday ordered him to file back returns and pay back taxes and penalties totaling $470,000. He had been accused of not filing returns from 2005 to 2009. His attorney said James suffered from post-concussion syndrome that left him mentally impaired.