Brushing aside a tearful apology from the 61-year-old former football star, O. J. Simpson, the Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass sentenced him to at least nine years in prison for the kidnapping and robbery last year. Under the sentence, Simpson would be eligible for parole in 2017; the maximum time he could serve is 33 years.

Judge Glass also sentenced co-defendant Clarence Stewart to at least 7 1/2 years behind bars, with a maximum sentence of 27 years.

Both Simpson and Stewart were convicted by the same jury of the same twelve charges - including kidnapping and armed robbery, stemming from the incident at the Palace Station Hotel-Casino. Simpson and five men, at least two of whom carried guns, stole a trove of sports memorabilia worth thousands of dollars from two collectibles dealers.

Before pronouncing the sentence, Judge Glass said: "The evidence was overwhelming", because of the many audiotapes of the planning, execution and aftermath of the confrontation. She added: "That was actually a very violent event. Guns were brought; one was displayed. The potential for harm to occur in that room was tremendous."

Simpson apologized repeatedly for the trouble he had caused, while restating his belief that the items he had sought were rightfully his. They included trophies and family photos that were stolen years ago from his Los Angeles home, and had ended up in the possession of the collectibles dealers, Bruce L. Fromong and Alfred Beardsley.

About the sentence, Simpson's longtime lawyer, Yale Galanter, said: "It could've been a lot worse. Obviously he's upset by the prospect of facing nine years in prison, but I think he's really relieved he didn't get a life sentence."