Teams, teammates, notable fans, and others usually release messages and remembrances after a Pro Football Hall of Famer dies. Simpson wasn't your typical Hall of Famer.
Despite widespread belief, Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman after a successful NFL and movie career. Simpson avoided prison at the time but spent the rest of his life in a peculiar public purgatory before being imprisoned for a different crime.
What if someone dies after that? Simpson's former NFL teams, the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, say nothing. On Thursday night, neither team had a statement or website post about Simpson.
The NFL and Simpson's alma institution, USC, still have his Heisman Trophy, which has a strange history. The Heisman Trophy organizers and Pro Football Hall of Fame were the most official to recognize Simpson.
Heisman Trust made a brief statement on X mourning Simpson's death and offering condolences to his family. His football achievements were the only thing in their little website article. That tweet's answers aren't sad.
The Hall of Fame, which often confirms member deaths, issued a longer statement on Simpson's death, focused primarily on his football accomplishments. The president's statement that Simpson's achievements won't be removed from the Hall may be the only non-football reference:
Other recent Hall of Fame obituaries go into more depth about the subject's life and include remarks praising them. The College Football Hall of Fame, which inducts Simpson, did not comment. However, the NFL wasn't silent on Simpson. Some current and former athletes tweeted with respect:
There were few reactions from Simpson's old teammates. Associated Press responses included only two players: All of this separates Simpson the player from Simpson the accused murderer. Most football fans don't want to discuss his trial's impact on America or his history of domestic abuse against Brown, while those focusing on that trial aren't interested in how he ran for 2,000 yards in a season.
For individuals having personal relationships to a 65-year-old woman and a 56-year-old guy, the later side will always be more impactful:
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