Plaxico Burress Indicted on Tax Charges: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress was reportedly indicted last week on charges of failing to pay state income taxes of nearly $50,000 in New Jersey.

James McEvoy of The Times of Trenton reports authorities indicted him on a pair of third-degree charges as a result of his failure to pay the outstanding $47,903 tax bill. The possible penalties include prison time and a fine.

"Burress, 37, of Totowa, faces one count of issuing a bad check or electronic funds transfer, and one count of willful failure to pay state tax. Both are third-degree charges that carry a maximum penalty of five years in state prison and a $15,000 fine," McEvoy writes.

The report states Burress originally tried to pay the bill in October of last year to cover the 2013 income tax period. The payment failed to go through with the New Jersey Division of Taxation. When contacted about the delinquent payment, authorities say he didn't respond.

A new New Jersey law passed in 2014 calls for individuals to be held liable for unsuccessful electronic payments the same way they would be for bounced checks, the report notes.

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Burress played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and New York Jets. He made 553 career catches for nearly 8,500 yards and 64 touchdowns. He last played in the league with the Steelers in 2012.

He previously spent almost two years in prison on a gun charge. It stemmed from a situation in which he shot himself in the thigh while at a New York City nightclub in 2008.

No date has been set for his arraignment on the new charges, according to McEvoy's report.