OJ Simpson

For years I have playfully said that I would invite OJ Simpson to our house for Thanksgiving. I said this every year, and I said it often, but I never followed through with it because . . well, because it sounded ludicrous.

Then, out of the blue last yesterday, I decided this was the year. Maybe he would respond - probably not. Best case scenario he showed for dinner, worst case my letter went unanswered. It sure seemed, given that test, to be worth the effort. 

So, on company letterhead (the better to grab his attention, I thought) I typed out this letter. One was addressed to the NFL Hall of Fame, the other to an address in Reno. Google claimed both were where he received fan mail. 

April 10^th, 2024

 

O.J. Simpson
2665 Cactus View Dr
Reno, NV 89506-6712
USA

Dear Mr. Simpson,

I’m sure you’re swamped with requests for appearances, and value your time accordingly. I’m also sure that you’re sick of people asking for your time just to try and cash in on events from the past, often without being upfront about their motives.

This is neither of those things. I have no financial stake in any endeavor related to you and have no desire to talk about the tragic events of thirty years ago.

I just want to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner with my family.

I didn’t enter the law until late in life, as a second career, but watching your attorneys in the 1994 trial planted the seed for me to take up defense work. To this day I remain adamant that jury came to the correct legal conclusion, just as I believe the sentencing in your later case was a horrific bit of showboating by a judge who knew she was on camera.

Long story short, I think every person I’ve helped  in my job owes a debt to you for inspiring me.

I know you have family and friends and, no doubt, a standing invitation to a holiday meal, but I am quite serious: if you happen to be in Milwaukee at Thanksgiving, you are welcome to a seat at our table.

I wish you the best,

This morning, on the way to work, the work chat lit up with the news: OJ had died the day I wrote the letter. Our timing was . . . well, at least it was cinematic. 

His life is forever tied to the murder of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. The OJ I remember -  the football star, the character actor, the cheerful spokesperson for Hertz -  died long ago, suffocated by suspicion. 

I do not deny that the balance of probability points to his guilt. I also acknowledge that standard leaves room for doubt that easily fails to meet the bar for conviction. There were too many police errors, and officers of dubious honesty (Fuhrman, for one) for me to EVER doubt that the verdict was the correct one. Those who demean the jury by saying the verdict was just a "payback" for the Rodney King trial are throwing a temper tantrum - and a vaguely racist one at that. 

What bothers me the most, now that he has passed, is the oddly vitriolic opinions people have for a case that has *zero* to do with their personal life. He has been called "evil," "rotting in hell," and a "monster" by nearly everyone that bothered to comment online.

If you are impacted directly by a crime, by all means, you deserve your rage.

If you comment from your couch, assigning meaning based on how often someone is in the news, stop the group-think. 

Even assuming he is guilty: it was a horrific crime of anger and rage, one the prosecution itself alleged was precipitated by a "snub" that evening. He did not walk dispassionately into a school and open fire, kill a stranger over $20 in a wallet, starve a child to death, or commit what many of the 23, 058 American murder suspects of 2023 -few of whom you comment on or care about -  stood accused of doing. 

People make one celebrity case, be it OJ, Casey Anthony, etc - their be all/end all, and think caring "enough" about that excuses their apathy towards all the other wrongs in the world. *That* is what is truly monstrous. 

I have long offered prayers for the two victims of the 1994 attack; as a Christian, I now extend one to OJ, because he is in God's hands: may your Maker judge you fairly.