Looking at O.J. Simpson’s career statistics as a running back at the University of Southern California and for the Buffalo Bills one can say arguably he is one of the best running backs to ever play the game.
The former two-time All-American won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 and finished his NFL career with over 11,000 yards rushing and 61 touchdowns but because of off the field problems Simpson will not be remembered for his glory days on the gridiron but for his legal problems that continue to plague him today.
Simpson was arrested on Sept. 16 by the Las Vegas police department and charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion.
Allegedly Simpson and a group of men armed with guns stormed a Las Vegas hotel room and took some sports memorabilia that supposedly was taken from Simpson.
An audio tape surfaced on TMZ.com capturing the incident as Simpson is heard yelling obscenities and giving orders to the victims pertaining to the memorabilia he claims that was stolen from him.
As the incident was being recorded one can only wonder was he set-up especially since the tape was posted on the Internet before law enforcement got a hold of the evidence.
After being acquitted in 1995 for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman Simpson finds himself on the other side of the law again. This time the late Johnnie Cochran isn’t here to save him.
Hopefully O.J. still has some of that NFL pension money so he can hire the best attorneys money can buy because its not about whether you did it or not but can you afford the best legal defense.
These are serious charges that Simpson is facing with penalties of up to 30 years in prison. But O.J. doesn’t take the situation seriously: “I’m O.J. Simpson. How am I going to think that I’m going to rob somebody and get away with it? I thought what happened in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.”
Does he think his arrest is a joke, or is that the ego of a former football star who beat a double murder case and feels untouchable?
It’s hard to believe that 12 years have gone by since the not guilty verdict came from the jury as Simpson walked away a free man. Will he get out of this one?
The family of Ronald Goldman is trying to retrieve the memorabilia to compensate for the 33 million dollar wrongful death suit filed against O.J. in 1997.
The Simpson circus continues as O.J. owns national headlines. He likes the attention, going jail and spending money on legal fees.
Ray Jenifer is a junior broadcast journalism student from Jacksonville. He can be reached at thefamuansports@hotmail.com.