Close call for Plaxico Burress, but the former NFL star wide receiver won't be returning to prison.

TMZ Sports is reporting that Burress pleaded guilty to tax evasion in New Jersey on Monday, and in the process, wiggled out of more time behind bars. Of course, this comes after Burress notoriously spent 20 months in prison from September 2009 to June 2011 for shooting himself in the leg in a New York City nightclub when he was a member of the New York Giants.

The retired NFL star could have returned to prison, as he was hit with two counts of tax evasion for failing to pay $48,000 in state taxes. Each count had a maximum five-year prison sentence. But Burress's plea deal allowed him to plead guilty — having to pay penalties and complete community service — in exchange for no prison time.

TMZ is additionally reporting that Burress already paid off his owed financial debt.

His rep also told the website that Burress didn't purposely evade paying his taxes, attributing the failure to pay them as a huge misunderstanding.

"He messed up. He knew he messed up. Everyone cooperated, and Plaxico paid the fine," his rep told TMZ. "From his past, he knows you can't mess with the government. He was more than happy to cooperate."

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(Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival)