Apparently to the producers of the 2024 BET Awards, O.J. Simpson was just a “former NFL player” who was famous enough to be included in the Sunday night ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment, alongside such late luminaries as Willie Mays.
But to many in America, the former USC legend and Buffalo Bills star was an accused domestic abuser and double murderer who got away with killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. Simpson, who died in April at age 76, also was a felon, having been convicted in 2008 of taking park in an armed robbery of sports memorabilia in Las Vegas. Simpson served nine years in prison before being paroled in 2017.
Given the more notorious aspects of Simpson’s life, it’s probably no surprise that the audience at the BET Awards fell into a “noticeable” stunned silence when the former TV pitchman’s image appeared on screen during the montage of famous faces, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A moment later, there was a smattering of applause, the Hollywood Reporter said. But many in the audience still were a bit surprised to see the photo of the San Francisco-reared Simpson, with one person in attendance noticing some titters among the crowd.
Former San Francisco Giants player Willie Mays acknowledges the crowd during his godson’s Barry Bonds uniform number retirement ceremony before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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For the “In Memoriam” segment, Simpson was included with Mays, the incandescent San Francisco Giants outfielder, two-time MVP and baseball Hall of Famer, who died last month at age 93. Other late stars who received unfettered applause during the segment were actors Carl Weathers, Bill Cobbs, Richard Roundtree and Louis Gossett Jr., as well as 2 Live Crew rapper Brother Marquis and civil rights activist Dexter Scott King.
Simpson’s death from cancer unleashed strong emotions from football fans, former celebrity friends and the families of his alleged victims.
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Simpson is still remembered by many for his accomplishments in football and his likable, charismatic persona, both of which were tarnished by the murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
Simpson’s trial in 1995 became a national obsession, the so-called “trial of the century.” His acquittal didn’t help him clear his name or get his career back on track. He was found liable for the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman in a civil trial. Given that he lived the rest of his life as a social pariah, it’s therefore expected that he wouldn’t receive a big round of heartfelt applause from the crowd during the “In Memoriam” segment.