O.J. Simpson will not be included among the Buffalo Bills legends featured at the team’s new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Bills president of business operations Pete Guelli said in a statement, “We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle.”
The family circle area at the new venue is planned to celebrate Buffalo Bills history and Western New York with displays honoring past players and team moments. The area will be located outside the stadium and will include three bison statues.
Those recognized on the team’s Wall of Fame are also being honored in that space. Simpson will likely be the only person from the Wall of Fame not included in the new display.
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The Bills had been debating this decision as recently as the spring. The stadium design team prepared for both possibilities — including and excluding Simpson from the family circle recognition.
Simpson’s name appeared for years on the Wall of Fame at the old stadium, where it had been since 1980 when he became the first inductee. It remained visible during years of public debate.
Simpson was a person of interest in the 1994 stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and was later charged. His 1995 trial drew widespread attention across the world.
He was acquitted of all criminal charges but was later found liable in civil court for wrongful death in 1997. The civil jury ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Brown and Goldman families. Simpson maintained his innocence.
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Despite the current decision by the Bills, Simpson remains a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Bills selected Simpson with the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NFL draft, and he played for the team from 1969 through 1977. He rushed for 2,003 yards in 1973, becoming the first running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season.
He was named to five first-team All-Pro squads during his time with the organization.
Simpson died of cancer in April 2024 at the age of 76.
After his death, the Bills took no public action or released any statement in acknowledgment of his passing.
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