The number worn in Buffalo by Hall of Fame running back turned notorious double-murder suspect turned eventual convict on indirectly-related charges O.J. Simpson has been reissued, decades after Simpson last wore it. The decision to give Simpson’s number to running back Senorise Perry was met with no reaction by the current players, according to coach Sean McDermott.
“I would say if you polled most of the players they probably wouldn’t even realize it, honestly,” McDermott told reporters on Tuesday. “But we did talk about it as a leadership group for sure.”
McDermott explained that the number is back for a very simple reason: Perry wanted it.
“It’s something we did talk about when it was brought up by [Senorise] Perry and we know it was a number that was important to him and his family, and so we felt like we would honor that request,” McDermott said. “We definitely vetted it out and talked about it.”
The Bills have only three retired numbers: No. 12 for Jim Kelly, No. 34 for Thurman Thomas, and No. 78 for Bruce Smith.