Bills Decide O.J. Simpson Is Finally Not the Best Choice for the “Family Circle”
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After what was apparently a spirited internal debate that lasted only about three decades longer than expected, the Buffalo Bills have officially decided that O.J. Simpson will not be honored alongside the team’s other legends at the new Highmark Stadium.
Apparently someone finally looked at the words “Family Circle” and thought, “You know… maybe this isn’t the perfect spot.”
Bills president Pete Guelli announced that Simpson “is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle,” proving that sometimes the obvious answer simply needs 30 years of committee meetings.
The new Family Circle is being designed as a place where fans can celebrate the team’s history, gather year-round, admire three giant bison statues, and apparently not answer uncomfortable questions from their children about why one of the honorees spent the 1990s dominating courtroom television instead of highlight reels.
According to reports, the Bills were still weighing whether to include Simpson as recently as this spring, with designers preparing layouts both with and without him. Somewhere, an architect probably muttered, “Can somebody please make up their mind?”
To be fair, Simpson’s football résumé is extraordinary.
Buffalo selected him first overall in the 1969 NFL Draft. He rushed for a then-record 2,003 yards in 1973, became the first player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a 14-game season, earned five First-Team All-Pro selections, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, his post-football career became… considerably more famous.
Simpson was charged in the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and was acquitted in the highly publicized criminal trial. Two years later, a civil jury found him liable for their wrongful deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the victims’ families. Simpson always maintained his innocence.
His name remained on the Bills’ Wall of Fame for decades despite periodic debate, proving that removing a plaque can sometimes take longer than building an entirely new stadium.
When Simpson died of cancer in April 2024 at age 76, the Bills notably chose not to issue a public statement acknowledging his passing—a hint that perhaps the relationship had cooled just a bit.
So when fans stroll through the new Family Circle, they’ll find nearly every Bills legend represented… with one very conspicuous omission.
On the bright side, at least no one will have to explain why the “Family Circle” featured the one guy whose name has been synonymous with one of America’s most infamous criminal cases for the last 30 years.
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