The Buffalo Bills are slated to open their new stadium later this year, however franchise legend O.J Simpson will not be included in the celebration.
Simpson, who spent nine years (1969 to 1977) with the Bills, will not be included on any new displays in or outside the stadium.
“We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle.” said Pete Guelli, chief operating officer for the Bills, in a statement on Saturday.
Rather than duplicate their Wall of Fame, the Bills plan to honor their past by having their greats featured in a display in a large gathering area, called the “Family Circle,” in front of their new stadium.
While Simpson was a superstar player, setting several NFL records, his legacy was overshadowed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.
Though acquitted of murder, Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman, per AP News.
Later, Simpson served nine years in prison after being convicted on unrelated charges.
The Bills’ decision to exclude Simpson from the Family Circle underscores how his history-making NFL career and infamous criminal case remain inseperable.
The Bills, under late-owner Ralph Wilson, had long ago distanced themselves from Simpson as a result of the murder charges
Simpson was 76 when he died of prostate cancer in April 2024.
During the time of his death, neither the Bills nor his alma mater, USC, publicly acknowledged his passing.