In a quiet voice in a packed courtroom, Tonya Harding gave up her sport in exchange for staying out of prison.
Tonya Harding, national figure skating champion, became Tonya Harding, convicted felon. She pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecutors investigating the attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, and resigned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association."I'd just like to say I'm really sorry I interfered," she told the judge on Wednesday.
Harding will get no jail time and will not be prosecuted in any other jurisdiction. But, at age 23, her competitive career is over, and $160,000 in fines and court costs won't leave much money from her lucrative deal with the television show "Inside Edition."
As part of the agreement with prosecutors, Harding must get a psychiatric evaluation and undergo counseling.
"I am committed to seeking professional help and turning my full attention to getting my personal life in order," Harding said. "This objective is more important than my figure skating."
Harding was to have left the country Thursday morning to skate in next week's world championships in Japan. Now, her travel is restricted to Oregon, Washington and California during three years of probation.
Without her USFSA membership, she can't compete in any amateur event and is barred from the two lucrative pro-am competitions. Promoters may not want her in ice shows, given the taint of the Kerrigan affair.
Ending Harding's competitive skating career was important to deputy district attorney Norm Frink, who watched in frustration as she maneuvered in court to avoid discipline from the U.S. Olympic Committee and the USFSA.
"What made this case especially significant was the attempt to defraud a national institution," Frink said.
Kerrigan was struck above the right knee in Detroit on Jan. 6, knocking her out of the national championships and leaving Harding free to win the title and a spot on the Olympic team.
Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, said she was in on the plot and gave the final go-ahead to eliminate Kerrigan from the event.
In her guilty plea, Harding admitted to conspiring with Gillooly and her bodyguard Shawn Eckardt to concoct a false alibi only hours after her return from the nationals on Jan. 10.
Left unresolved is the central question: Was Harding in on the plot?
Frink insists the answer is yes.
"There is obviously substantial evidence for her involvement in the conspiracy and the aiding and abetting of the assault," he said.
Judge Donald Londer ordered Harding to pay a $100,000 fine, $10,000 in prosecution expenses and contribute $50,000 to Special Olympics. She also will serve 500 hours of community service.
Asked if she suffered from any emotional or psychological problems, Harding paused, then said, "I don't know."
After the hearing, Harding thanked her family and friends, then asked reporters to "please give me my time and my space."
"Perhaps the only good thing to come of it is the realization by Tonya Harding that perhaps she has placed too much value on her goals and not enough value on herself as a person," said her attorney, Bob Weaver.