Pompei: O.J. Simpson's bust will likely remain in the Hall of Fame, no matter how it feels (2024)

Why is O.J. Simpson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Simpson’s status as an honoree is controversial among fans, voters (I am one) and the media. Even some fellow Hall of Famers feel strongly that his bust should not be displayed alongside theirs.

Separating the football player from the human being is a struggle for many.

But despite how it feels, there is no reason for Simpson — who died of cancer Wednesday at age 76 — not to be in the Hall of Fame.

Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Hall that honors Simpson has no so-called character clause. In 1991, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s board of directors codified their bylaws and addressed the matter with this directive — “The only criteria for election to the Hall of Fame are a nominee’s achievements and contributions (positive or negative) as a Player, a Coach or a Contributor in professional football in the United States of America.”

The intention of the clause was to prevent inductions of candidates on the basis of good deeds off the field. But it works both ways.

The clause was brought up when Lawrence Taylor was discussed as a candidate in 1999. Taylor had failed multiple drug tests and had been suspended by the NFL. After retiring but before being voted in, Taylor was arrested for attempting to purchase cocaine, and he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. He was voted into the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

As the Hall of Fame sees it, the murky business of judging character should be left to others.

Simpson was voted into the Hall a decade before he was tried and acquitted in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, 12 years before Simpson lost a wrongful death lawsuit to the families of the victims, and three decades before he was found guilty of breaking into a hotel room and stealing memorabilia at gunpoint.

What makes Simpson’s case particularly troubling is that no inductee casts a longer, wider cultural shadow. He has the highest profile of any Hall of Famer. Given his previous incarnations as a rental car pitchman, football talking head and Nordberg from the “Naked Gun” movies, his profile was among the highest Hall of Famers even before the “trial of the century.”

The argument could be made that Simpson should be defrocked as a Hall of Famer, citing the Hall’s stated values of commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence. But no one who has gotten into the Hall of Fame has ever been removed. Perhaps it would have been different had Simpson been convicted of murder.

For a feature story in 2021, O.J. Simpson was asked by The Athletic’s @ByTimGraham how he thought his obituary would be presented.

“I hope it starts out with football. I know they’re going to add the other stuff."

More on Simpson's complicated legacy:https://t.co/PEVQimZe8o

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 11, 2024

In 1985, Simpson was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility. Deion Sanders once said the Hall should have an “upper room” for the most elite. If it did, Simpson would have a place in it.

When he retired after the 1979 season, Simpson was the second-leading rusher of all time, behind only Jim Brown. Playing in an era with Hall of Fame running backs Walter Payton, Franco Harris, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Earl Campbell, Simpson led the NFL in rushing yards four times and was voted first-team All-Pro five times.

He was the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and remains the only one to do it in a 14-game season. He’s also the only player to rush for 200 yards in a game six times.

However, the memory of Simpson as one of the all-time great football players has dimmed over time, eclipsed by memories of the man who lost his way. In a museum that celebrates excellence, visitors look at one bust and think about a horrifying 911 call and a gruesome crime scene.

For years now, Simpson has been a silent Hall of Famer. He never attended an induction after the murders.

His presence remains, however. And barring the unforeseen, visitors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will see Simpson’s bust displayed in perpetuity, as uncomfortable as it may be.

(Photo: Kevin Reece / Getty Images)

Dan Pompei is a senior writer for The Athletic who has been telling NFL stories for close to four decades. He is one of 49 members on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors board and one of nine members on the Seniors Committee. In 2013, he received the Bill Nunn Award from the Pro Football Writers of America for long and distinguished reporting. He was a Zenger Prize winner in 2024. Follow Dan on Twitter @danpompei