On November 26, 1968, Orenthal James Simpson was celebrating winning the Heisman Trophy, an annual award given to the most outstanding College football player. The young Mr. Simpson’s future would be as bright as a Southern California sunrise. 40 years later, that sunrise has finally set as O.J. Simpson was sentenced to serve a minimum of 9 years in prison.
Simpson was found guilty of nine felony counts, including kidnapping, in Clark County District Court in Nevada on October 3, 2008. Thirteen years to the day after he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman in 1995 in Los Angeles.
On Saturday, December 13th, Tim Tebow, Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford will be vying to be in the same company as OJ, as a Heisman Trophy winner.
From Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Memorial Trophy recipient in 1935, to last years winner Tim Tebow, the fraternity of Heisman winners are all top notch individuals, as well as great College players.
Simpson is not the only Heisman winner who has had brushes with the law, however; nothing comes close to being accused of double murder and convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy charges.
Ricky Williams, who won the prestigious award in 1998 at Texas University, and Rashaan Salaam, 1994’s winner out of Colorado, both liked to hit the bong. Both would be suspended and fined from their respective teams and the NFL. Ricky Williams eventually found his way back into the NFL. Salaam fumbled his way out of the league for good in 2003.
Simpson’s treasured Heisman Trophy was auctioned in 1997 to pay part of his restitution for a civil wrongful death suit brought by the Goldman family. Now OJ has no ties with the Heisman Memorial Trophy anymore, and I’m pretty sure most are OK with that.
When all the previous winners get together for their Annual Heisman Trophy Dinner next Monday night, OJ will be having his own banquet of bread & water, right before lights out.
Many people will be talking about OJ Simpson in the coming days of the award presentation. Instead of celebrating his achievements in 1968, or taking pride in his being a member of the Heisman fraternity, most will be talking about his recent conviction and sentencing.
Hopefully, for the sake of all previous winners, and out of respect for the most prestigious College Football award, those conversations about Mr. Simpson will not darken what should be a day of celebrating brilliant young athletes.
No one should be talking about the man whose star has not only fallen, but has broken into a thousand little pieces, becoming a joke of a man, instead of what he once was; a brilliant athlete.
O.J. will be locked away for at least the next 9 years. He will be remembered. Unfortunately for him, most memories will be what happened off the field, than the incredible feats he attained on the field.Whether you were a fan or not, that is a tragic fall. I’m sure the Brown’s and Goldman’s couldn’t care less.
