Local : O.J. Ordered to Undergo Counseling

Former pro football star O. J. Simpson was ordered to undergo counseling and pay a $200 fine today after pleading no contest to charges he beat his wife during a New Year’s Day argument.

In addition to the fines and twice-weekly counseling sessions, which Simpson has been attending since January, West Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Schoenberg placed the Heisman Trophy winner on two years probation. He was also ordered to donate $500 to an organization for battered women.

Simpson, 41, who had faced up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, did not appear in court at his sentencing.