The Buffalo Bills are choosing not to honor O.J. Simpson at the new Highmark Stadium. This decision obviously stems from off-field issues surrounding the late Hall of Famer.
It is a deliberate snub.
The iconic NFL organization hopes to distance itself from the controversial running back. His on-field legacy will be erased.
O.J. Simpson is a Buffalo Bills legend.
Orenthal James Simpson won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 1968. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft and spent nine years with the organization. His career is one of the all-time greats.
Simpson led the league in rushing in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976, led the league in scoring in 1975, made five Pro Bowls (when the Pro Bowl actually meant something), was named as a First-team All-Pro in five-straight years and was named as the MVP in 1973. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound ball-carrier ran for more than 10,000 yards and 55 touchdowns during his time with the Bills. He was the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season and the only player to ever do so in 14 games. His 143.1 rushing yards per game in 1973 is still an NFL record.
You cannot discuss NFL history without talking about O.J. Simpson. He is a Hall of Famer for a reason!
He is also a Wall of Famer.
The Buffalo Bills created the Wall of Fame in 1980 “to honor former players, administrators and coaches who have played significant roles in the team’s history.” Simpson was the very first player to be inducted. He still holds the top three single-season rushing marks in Bills history as well as four of the top five single-game highs. He is still second in rushing yards and sixth in scoring, more than 50 years later.
‘The Juice’ will not be honored at the new Highmark Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills held their ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new football stadium on June 23. They will play their first game in the new Highmark Stadium in August.
There is one notable omission.
Although the Wall of Fame will continue to exist at the new stadium, O.J. Simpson will not. Chief operating officer Pete Guelli told WIVB that the organization essentially decide to erase his memory.
“We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle.”
That means Simpson will not be featured on the Wall of Fame. Nor will he be featured at the Family Circle, a year-round plaza outside of the stadium that will feature plaques to honor Bills greats.
This decision, of course, stems from the off-field controversies that soured Simpson’s legendary football career. A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995 but a separate civil trial jury found him liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1997 and ordered him to pay $33.4 million to their family members.
Simpson was later arrested in 2007 and charged with 12 counts, including kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon. A Nevada jury found him guilty on all 12 charges in 2008.
The Buffalo Bills ultimately decided that Simpson’s troubled history was enough reason to keep him off of the new Wall of Fame. You will not find him anywhere at the new Highmark Stadium.