OJ Simpson dies: Why NFL legend was never removed from the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite his legal troubles

OJ Simpson died on Wednesday at age 76 and while he leaves behind a complicated legacy, he will always be a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

The former Bills running back was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and he was never removed from the Hall, despite facing some serious legal troubles after his induction. The reason Simpson's arrest is still in Canton, Ohio is because the Hall of Fame will not remove a player under any circumstances.

“Once elected, nothing in the bylaws of the Pro Football Hall of Fame authorizes the removal of a Hall member,” the HOF says listed in 2020.

Simpson was elected to the Hall of Fame after putting together one of the most impressive rushing careers in history N.F.L history. After being selected by the Bills with the No. 1 overall pick in 1969 NFL draftSimpson led the league in rushing four times in eleven years, while also being named NFL MVP once (1973).

His career actually got off to a slow start – he averaged just 642.3 rushing yards per season through his first three years – but he broke out in 1972 after Lou Saban took over as Buffalo's head coach.

Simpson led the NFL in rushing with 1,251 yards during his first year with Saban and then surpassed that in 1973 by becoming the first running back to break the 2,000-yard mark. The most impressive thing about Simpson's MVP season in 1973 is that he rushed for 2,003 yards at a time when the NFL regular season was only 14 games. His 143.1 yards per game still ranks as the highest average in NFL history.

To put Simpson's performance in perspective, no other running back even rushed for 1,150 yards in 1973.

Hall of Fame President Jim Porter released a statement Thursday after Simpson's death was announced.

“OJ Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing milestone that many thought couldn't be achieved in a fourteen-game season when he topped 2,000 yards,” Porter said. “His contributions on the field will be preserved in the archives of the Hall in Canton, Ohio.”

Although Simpson never reached the 2,000-yard mark again, he led the NFL with 1,817 yards in 1975 and in 1976, when he totaled 1,503 yards on the ground. He finished his career with 11,236 yards, which is still the 21st most in NFL history.

In his 11-year career, Simpson went to six Pro Bowls and was voted first-team All-Pro five times. He was also on the NFL's all-time 100th anniversary team.

When Simpson ran for Hall of Fame enshrinement in 1985, the choice was an easy one and he was inducted into the Hall of Famer on the first ballot. After that, however, things became much more complicated.

In 1994, Simpson was charged with double murder in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Although Simpson was acquitted of the murders in October 1995, he was later found liable for the deaths in civil court. The former Bills running back was ordered to pay $33.5 million after a judge ruled against him in wrongful death lawsuits filed by the victims' families.

Over the course of his life, Simpson did not end up paying much of the judgment, but the Goldmans did get some money in 1999 when Simpson was forced to sell his Heisman Trophy, which he had won in 1968 while attending USC.

The trophy sold for $255,500 at auction in 1999 and that money went to the Goldman family. Despite his legal troubles, the Heisman Trust never stripped Simpson of his trophy. Like the Hall of Fame, the Trust has no bylaws that would allow the award to be revoked, so while Simpson no longer has the trophy, he will carry the title of “Heisman Winner” for the rest of the term. time (Simpson's trophy is now owned by a Nevada businessman, who I bought it in 2019).

The Heisman Trust even released a statement after Simpson's death.

“The Heisman Trophy Trust mourns the passing of 1968 Heisman Trophy winner OJ Simpson. We extend our condolences to his family,” the trust said.

Although Simpson lost the Goldmans' civil suit, he never had to serve a prison sentence for the double murders. However, more than ten years later he ended up in prison. At the age of 60, Simpson spent nearly a decade in prison after himwas convicted of armed robbery and kidnappingin Las Vegas in 2008. Hewas eventually released from prison in October 2017.

Yes, Simpson accomplished a lot on the football field, but all of that was overshadowed by the decisions he made later in life.