David Boston, a former Pro Bowl wide receiver, was sentenced to six months in jail on an aggravated battery conviction in Palm Beach (Fla.) County on Friday.
Boston, 34, who played for four NFL teams before his career ended in 2007, had pleaded guilty to the felony charge last month, stemming from a Nov. 30, 2011 incident involving a female friend at a Boca Raton home. The former Ohio State standout hit a woman above the left eyebrow, causing her to get 10 stitches.
The judge, however, said he gave him a lesser sentence because of a brain disorder that may have been the result of four concussions while Boston was playing in the NFL.
A defense expert, psychiatrist Lawrence V. Tucker, of Plano, Texas, testified in Boston’s behalf after an evaluation of the former player’s brain.
Boston must face an in-patient treatment program after he is released from jail. He said he has joined a lawsuit against the NFL over head trauma that includes more than 3,000 former players.
