One of the Buffalo Bills‘ activists has raised questions about Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson not being put on the franchise’s Wall of Fame amid the opening of their new stadium, moving away from Highmark Stadium.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“What does not fit mean? He was fit when he ran for those 2003 yards and made Buffalo world famous. He was fit when he got inducted into the National Football League in 1985. He was fit when he was put on the wall in Buffalo in 1980 and has been on that wall for 46 years. He was on that wall for the first trial,” Betty Jean Grant, a former Erie County legislator and activist, said, according to Spectrum News 1 BUF. “He was on the wall for the second trial. He was on the wall for the third trial. He was on the wall years after he was on the wall when he died. Tell me now, what changed?”
Grant was upset that six-time Pro Bowl Simpson was excluded from the honorable list of the Wall of Fame in the new stadium, saying that she already has 5,000 signatures as part of a petition to bring back Simpson’s name. The decision was made in late June, with the chief operating officer, Pete Guilli, announcing the news.
“We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle,” Guilli said in a statement.
The Bills framed the decision as organizational, not personal, citing the new stadium’s ‘Family Circle’ branding. The organization’s Wall of Fame was created in 1980 to honor former players, administrators, and coaches who had a significant role in shaping the legacy of the franchise.
The decision was made because Simpson was accused of double murder in 1994. But it isn’t that Simpson wasn’t named to the Wall of Fame before; in fact, he was honored with a place in the Wall of Fame for over four decades. But now, with the new stadium naming the legends in a new area that they call the “Family Circle,” Simpson will not be part of it despite his achievements and accolades.
One of the former Bills players, Leonard Fournette, has questioned the decision.
“It goes to bring up another subject, O.J Simpson,” Fournette said on his 4th And South podcast with Jarvis Landry. “The Bills say they’re not going to recognize him in the new stadium. To me, I think it’s disrespectful.”
Fournette continued, saying that despite the decision of his name not being put, the Bills fans still wear his jersey, and urged the Bills to “do the right thing.”
Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure also commented on Simpson’s journey as a player, saying that he “was an icon in the nation.”
Former Bills defensive back Booker Edgerson, who initially had a “bumpy start” to the relationship with Simpson, gradually became fond of him.
What makes it more bizarre is the fact that Simpson was actually the No. 1 overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, after taking home the Heisman Trophy in 1968.
Simpson had a great career during his nine-year tenure with the Bills, also becoming the first running back to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a season, recording 2,003 yards in 14 games in 1973. This achievement earned him the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards in the same year.
One of Simpson’s everlasting records that still hasn’t been broken includes him recording the Bills’ single-season records for the most rushing touchdowns (16).
Simpson was named the NFL’s Player of the Year in 1972, 1973, and 1975, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. Even with these records, the Bills won’t acknowledge his death at the age of 76 in April 2024 with an official statement. Simpson passed away due to cancer.
From being the first superstar to be included in the Wall of Fame to later being completely scrapped from the list, the Bills’ decision has been controversial.