LAS VEGAS — This was not the O.J. Simpson of old.
His wrists shackled, eyes reddened and husky voice cracking, the fallen football star -- who famously was acquitted of double murder in Los Angeles -- was sentenced Friday to up to 33 years in prison for robbing a pair of memorabilia dealers. He will be eligible for parole in nine years.
Surprising even Judge Jackie Glass, Simpson delivered a tearful five-minute apology to a packed courtroom down the street from the casinos and pawnshops of downtown Las Vegas.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it," Simpson said, in a moment that may have marked the end of a saga that the nation has watched for years: Simpson's journey from gridiron icon to social pariah after the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted of their slayings in 1995, but a civil jury in 1997 found Simpson liable in their deaths.
Simpson, 61, told the judge that he went to a down-market Las Vegas hotel on Sept. 13, 2007, to recover family heirlooms -- including his slain ex-wife's wedding ring -- to pass down to his children.
"This was the first time I had an opportunity to catch the guys red-handed who had been stealing from my family," said the NFL Hall of Fame running back, dressed in navy jail garb, his hair graying at the temples.
"In no way did I mean to hurt anybody, to steal anything from anybody. I just wanted my personal things," he said. When Simpson finished, his shoulders slumped and his face fell.
In the spectators' gallery during Simpson's apology, Goldman's sister, Kim, gripped her father's hand and leaned into his shoulder. Afterward, outside the courthouse, the pair were greeted by a Santa, a Wonder Woman, an Elvis and a man shouting: "We're sorry, Goldmans, about your son being murdered by O.J."
There was also a chorus of boos.
"Where are you going to get your money now, Goldman?" shouted Las Vegas resident John Post, who carried a "Free O.J." sign. "You going to go after his ramen noodles, Goldman?"
Fred Goldman ignored him. "There is no closure," he said. "Ron is always gone. What we have is satisfaction that this monster is where he belongs."
Simpson's broken demeanor and words of regret Friday capped a trial that had stripped him of much of his remaining sheen.
The former Heisman Trophy winner, Hertz rent-a-car pitchman and sports commentator was accused of leading a ragtag band of men -- two carrying handguns -- to confront dealers hawking mementos from him and other sports stars.
