O.J. Simpson will be welcome at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 22, 2017, 6:24 AM EDT
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame invites every Hall of Famer to its annual enshrinement ceremony every year, and that will include O.J. Simpson in 2018.

Asked whether Simpson will be welcome once he’s paroled, the Hall of Fame told ESPN, “All Hall of Famers are invited to attend the annual enshrinement.”

Simpson has been a pariah in NFL circles since he was accused of double murder in 1994. But he was granted parole this week for a 2008 armed robbery conviction and is expected to be released in October, so he could attend next year’s enshrinement ceremony.

The Hall of Fame has kept Simpson’s bust in place despite his off-field issues. Simpson has not attended a Hall of Fame ceremony since his own enshrinement in 1985.

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71 responses to “O.J. Simpson will be welcome at the Pro Football Hall of Fame”

  2. What else can they do to completely destroy the HOF?

    The greats who have passed on must be rolling over in their graves.

  3. His football accomplishments got him into the HOF looooong before that glove didn’t fit.

    I’d rather see him at that ceremony than live in an Orwellian world of revisionist history.

  11. If it isn’t abundantly clear to anyone with a working brain, this certainly adds to the lustre the NFL has achieved as an institution worthy of derision, shame and abandonment.

  12. If O.J. shows up at events such as that, he’s got even bigger brass ones than I thought. It will also show how much he craves publicity, good or bad.
    The Hall Of Fame ceremony is for honoring the new inductees and a chance for the members to get together and rekindle old friendships. It is not intended to create a media circus revolving around a guy everyone knows murdered two people and served almost 10 years in prison for directing an armed robbery.
    In the first place, I think O.J. should be removed from the Hall Of Fame, anyway. Do they really need to honor this guy after all he’s been involved with?
    The baseball Hall Of Fame kept the 1919 “Black Sox” out of their Hall for throwing the World Series, and have done that to Pete Rose because he gambled on baseball games, as well. That’s fine because the rules say you cannot do those things. However, I have watched baseball for over 55 years and I have never seen anyone try harder to win games than Pete Rose did as a player and by all accounts the same can be said for Joe Jackson, who was part of that Sox team and is banned from baseball’s Hall, including in that World Series.
    When you think about those two players being banned for life from their sport’s Hall Of Fame, and then you think about what O.J. has done, it seems pretty ridiculous that they don’t have a clause in their charters to allow for removal from the Hall Of Fame for extremely bad behavior — such as murder and armed robbery, for instance.
    In short — O.J. should not go to the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony because he will cause a huge distraction and will take away from what the ceremony is about. But — O.J. has no conscience as we all know, and he only cares about himself. So my money is on him going and getting the publicity he craves.
    And the fans will want crowd around him just to get a look at him. It’s a strange quirk about humans that we love lavishing bad guys with attention. Remember the crowds of people who stood outside of courtrooms every time John Gotti fixed a jury and beat another rap? They would cheer as if he were some kind of hero. If O.J. attends, he’ll get far more attention than anyone else. And do we really want to see the members welcoming O.J.? That puts them in a very bad spot, because I’m sure many of them want no part of the guy. But they can’t cause a controversy by shunning him. So — they’ll have little choice but to smile and have their picture taken with him.

  17. No morals clause?
    Its good kids can look up to such a good role model.
    Way to go NFL Hall of Fame.

  19. It broke my heart to see “The Fall Of O.J.” I always felt he belonged in the G.O.A.T. discussion. Many that don’t are those too young to have seen him play. I’m not saying “you young whippersnappers don’t know anything,” I’m saying you had to see him play to really appreciate him (as a player).

    The Bills won a lot of games on his back. He wrought havoc on many plays when every defender on the field knew he was going to get the ball. His airport/luggage commercial was also great. Not “Kid sharing his Coke with Mean Joe” great, but still pretty great.

    I’m conflicted about his H.O.F. status. What he did, or didn’t do, doesn’t diminish his accomplishments on the field and he wasn’t convicted of the murders, but still. I know pro athletes don’t have to be role models… but I wish they would be.

  22. OJ Simpson will go down in US history as the most obvious example of jury nullification ever seen. He should thank Rodney King for his freedom because if justice would have been served, he would be sharing a jail cell with Charles Manson.

    I understand that in theory, OJ is invited to Canton but so is Ray Lewis so let’s keep it all in perspective.

  23. “Simpson has not attended a Hall of Fame ceremony since his own enshrinement in 1985.”

    — pretty much sums up how conceited and self-centered he is. There’s him, then everybody else a very distant 2nd.

  24. They allowed Adrian Peterson to play in the NFL despite the fact that he tortured a 4 year old child.
    The Minnesota Vikings even gave him a raise for all his troubles and I can find almost nothing more reprehensible than that.

  25. He earned his place in the Hall. They are smart to invite ALL members and not resort to social politics. OJ will be smart to say (early on) “Thanks, but no, I won’t be attending” and avoid detracting from the ceremony with the predictable negative attention.

  29. No real fan cares about the hall of fame any longer. 5 foot 2 guys like rick gosselin can basically sabotage a worthy players chance while guys like jerry jones get voted in . The whole process is a complete farce and personality contest.

  31. I hope he goes to complete the mockery of the criminal justice system by the idiots on the jury and his defense lawyers.

  32. He’ll be like Pete and setup a table in the parking lot to sign autographs and take pictures for money. I mean, he has to make money somehow right in order to pay off the civil suit the Goldmans won against him.

  35. People who flip about OJ or anyone else being in the Hall Of Fame, football or otherwise, remember what a hall of fame is: A MUSEUM. It celebrates and immortalizes the greatest players to ever play, more so for fans from future eras to appreciate than to actually honor the player himself, it’s not the Morality Hall Of Fame. What you do off the field is utterly inconsequential, as it has nothing to do with one’s contributions to the game. You shouldn’t just whitewash history. It’s probably uncomfortable, but I’m sure German schoolchildren cover Hitler in history class, you can’t just pretend he never happened. OJ isn’t the only trashbag to ever be inducted. Look into Jim Brown’s history, not such a swell guy when it comes to not beating women up. Warren Sapp probably isn’t the first guy you’d want dating your sister. And the list goes on, not all of these guys are Derrick Brooks or Walter Payton.

  36. When are going to erect a full size bronze statue in front of the HOF for him? That is what i want to know. I will never , ever go anywhere near Canton.

  37. Many of the guys in the HOF couldn’t hold OJ’s jock

    Here is the thing, OJ was acquitted. In our society that is supposed to mean something.

  42. He was acquitted of murder people. Pete Rose was found guilty of gambling. Guilty vs. Not Guilty. Move on. NFL has no basis to deny him.

  43. OJ was acquitted of murder? Only in the criminal case due to a tainted jury pool and highly suspect circumstances. He was found guilty under the lesser standard of the civil litigation. Everyone knows he couldn’t control himself regarding his ex-wife and when he couldn’t have her he killed her and her friend. The NFL shames itself by formally inviting him to any of its official functions.

  47. waynefontesismyfather says:
    Jul 22, 2017 11:18 AM

    He’ll be like Pete and setup a table in the parking lot to sign autographs and take pictures for money. I mean, he has to make money somehow right in order to pay off the civil suit the Goldmans won against him.
    ______________________

    Simpson pays restitution only if he has declared income. And knowing Orenthal James the self-centered murderer …. next stop ……
    prison on an income tax evasion charge.

  48. My guess is he won’t show up anywhere . I think he is going to want to spend time with his family and that’s it.. He just spent the last nine years of his life behind bars. He’s on parole, It’s not like he served all his time. Hell, he was sentenced to 33 years. He Will be laying low for the rest of his days is my guess.

  49. He had a great career, no doubt about that. But for cripes’ sake, I thought that the NFL was obsessed about their public image. Yet they will still accept a convicted felon whose out on parole into their most sacred shrine. Let alone that he will be forever thought of as a double muderer who got away with it. They should rename it The “NFL Hall of Shame”.

  50. OJ served his time! Its fine that racist Hank Williams jr. is back on MNF and that Kap is blackballed. He who is without sin cast the first son. hypocrites

  51. I’m pretty sure that Simpson isn’t just a pariah in NFL circles. I hope he just stays out of sight,out of more trouble and quietly disappears,never to be heard from again. But somehow,I doubt it…

  54. dickpowersblog says:
    Jul 22, 2017 2:26 PM
    oj Simpson is the greatest man in the world besides Jesus

    ————————————-
    Jesus did his time on this earth then went home to be with his Father. I guess that means in your world, Simpson is undisputed. Your world, population one. Even O.J. wouldn’t live there.

  55. The appeasing NFL, politically correct collection of fools, are losers.
    Screw this collection of jerks and screw that HOF.
    What a joke. That scum bag OJ gets away with murder, literally and figuratively

  57. kabasaman says:
    Jul 22, 2017 2:59 PM

    My guess is he won’t show up anywhere . I think he is going to want to spend time with his family and that’s it.. He just spent the last nine years of his life behind bars. He’s on parole, It’s not like he served all his time. Hell, he was sentenced to 33 years. He Will be laying low for the rest of his days is my guess.
    ___________________

    I believe that he’s too much of a narcissistic egomaniac not to seek out the limelight.

  58. Kind of surprised at the number of comments correlating Simpson and Pete Rose, of all people. It’s no comparison: not only do they play different sports and the Halls of Fame have different rules, but there’s also a big difference between being in the Hall and potentially expelled and not being in at all.

    I personally don’t believe Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, now or ever. Baseball has it right on that one. He broke the only inviolable rule baseball has. It’s an easy call not to elect him, no matter how great he was on the field.

    As for Simpson, I am less sure. My sense is that if one gets into the Hall, what happens thereafter doesn’t and shouldn’t matter.

  60. OJ will probably be too busy searching for the Real Killer on various Florida golf courses to bother attending any HOF ceremonies, unless he tracks down a lead that the RK might be there.

  61. Thank God OJ’s getting out. Now he can get back to work finding the real killer.

    Have to give him credit… he did a nice job on my new Nevada license plates.

  63. If he shows up in Canton, I hope that every hotel and restaurant owner in town (and for a 50-mile radius) does like restauranteur Jeff Ruby did years ago (some time between his acquittal in LA and his conviction in Vegas). It was Derby Week in Louisville, and O J showed up with some bought-and-paid-for friends at Ruby’s high-class steakhouse. Ruby told him, “You are not welcome here”, period. To his credit, Simpson didn’t argue; he took his paid entourage elsewhere.

    The Hall and the league may say that he’s not unwelcome, but the town and its people can make it a hostile environment. If he shows up, I hope they do. Not violent, not demonstrative, not made-for-TV, just coldly unwelcome and hostile.

    I think it’s all a moot point in any event. If the event isn’t all about OJ, he’s not interested.

  64. filmex2000 says:
    Jul 22, 2017 9:13 AM
    They should decapitate his bust just to keep things in perspective.
    —————————
    Terrible, but hilarious.

  67. OJ Simpson has gotten a bad rap his whole post NFL life. He was found not guilty of murder, and he probably didn’t do the armed robbery either. People need to chill, BLM.

  68. The Almighty Cabbage says:
    Jul 22, 2017 9:11 AM
    It broke my heart to see “The Fall Of O.J.” I always felt he belonged in the G.O.A.T. discussion. Many that don’t are those too young to have seen him play. I’m not saying “you young whippersnappers don’t know anything,” I’m saying you had to see him play to really appreciate him (as a player).

    The Bills won a lot of games on his back.
    –
    Yeah and OJ admittedly logged a lot of his yards on McKenzie’s back. So flippin what.

    There has to be a line somewhere between people like Simpson and the rest of decent humanity. Anyone who offers a hand to this man twists a blade a little deeper into the Goldmans.

  70. The Truth says:
    Jul 22, 2017 10:42 AM
    No real fan cares about the hall of fame any longer. 5 foot 2 guys like rick gosselin can basically sabotage a worthy players chance while guys like jerry jones get voted in . The whole process is a complete farce and personality contest.

    *****************************************************
    Two things……
    1) As an owner, Jerry Jones definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame…..AS AN OWNER! He completely changed how the league makes money with the TV contracts.

    2) I think you mean “Popularity” contest, not “personality” contest.

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