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O.J. Simpson died Wednesday. The day it happened was always bound to be complicated.
Usually, when a Pro Football Hall of Famer dies, it triggers an outpouring of statements and remembrances from his teams, his teammates, famous fans and many more. But Simpson obviously wasn’t just any Hall of Famer.
After a successful NFL career and amid a successful acting career, Simpson stood trial and was found not guilty for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, despite what the public believed to be strong evidence of his guilt. Simpson avoided prison at the time, but spent the rest of his life in a unique sort of public purgatory, and eventually did go to prison for a different crime.
So what is there to say if a person dies after that?
If you’re the Buffalo Bills or San Francisco 49ers, the two teams Simpson played for during his NFL career, you say … nothing. As of Thursday evening, neither team has released a single statement or posted anything on their website acknowledging Simpson.
The same is true for the NFL and Simpson’s alma mater at USC, which still holds his Heisman Trophy, which has its own bizarre history.
O.J. Simpson leaves behind a legacy more complicated and compromised than any NFL star. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)
The most official organizations to acknowledge Simpson were The Heisman Trophy’s organizers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Heisman Trust released a short statement on X, saying they mourned Simpson’s passing and extend sympathy to his family. They also published a short article on their website, going through his football achievements and nothing else.
The replies to that tweet are … not what you would call mournful.
The Hall of Fame, which frequently serves a role of confirming the deaths of its members, went a similar route with a much longer statement on Simpson’s death, again focusing only on his football achievements. The only acknowledgement of anything beyond football might be in the lone quote,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oj-simpsons-legacy-rang-loudest-where-his-death-created-silence-000653696.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-04-12 00:06:53
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