NYCBoozers Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 He did beat the daylights out of his wife many times before he was judged not guilty for her murder... he did a ray rice on her like 10 times over... Take it for what you want but he, self admittedly, beat the hell out of his wife for a long time. I'd take his name down for that, and have it nothing to do with the murder trial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Changing history to meet people's sensitivities is a bad idea. The history on that wall: He was a Hell of a ball player, NOT he was a Hell of an upstanding citizen. Do we have to have a yearly review of everyone on the wall to make sure they meet community standards? Now, should we scour police records and news stories and remove anyone who ever hit his wife, snorted blow or said something politically incorrect? Further, he was found not guilty. The thing he was found guilty of was, I think, trying to steal his own freaking trophy back. COMMUNITY STANDARDS? it was shoplifting. it wasn't dui. it wasn't real estate fraud. he butchered 2 innocent people. good god. I agree with the above, with the obvious exception to "the ladder", which has rungs, and.....well, you know. I have to tell a story. A number of years back, I was doing my chemical coatings salesman thing, returning home from a trip to a plant in Ontario. Of course, listening to WGR the whole time. They were discussing the change of name of the stadium from Rich to something else, and the discussion was what should the name be? Never having called into a radio show before, I blithely dialed up the number, and much to my surprise, I was put through immediately. No pre-discussion screening of what I wanted to say, etc. So I start in on how any city that can welcome back to town the wide right Bills with a mass gathering on the tarmac at the airport, and then blow up the gathering at City Hall the next day with chants of "Scotty, Scotty, Scotty" is, plain and simple, a community that knows what it means to 'do the right thing'. Then I suggested that a community such as ours should logically name the stadium after Nicole Brown Simpson. They hung up on me like I was oozing leprosy through the phone. Haven't called another radio station before or since, right? brilliant! i bet you are a good salesman! Edited January 9, 2015 by jester43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 OJ is a scumbag and almost certainly a double murderer. He's not on the wall of fame for civic virtue; he's there because he is arguably the greatest Buffalo Bill of all time. Keep his name on the wall. You can't conveniently change history simply because you don't like someone. His football accomplishments are what they are, and they aren't changing. If you remove his name from the wall, take the whole wall down too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I celebrate honoring OJ. Yes, he killed those people. Even if he had been convicted, I would still want his name up there. Having his name up there does Not celebrate him now. It celebrates him for his time on this team where his name is. Other than Kelly, OJ is the best Bill ever. Ever. If a guy gets a Congressional Medal of Honor during a war, then 20 years later gets convicted of murder back here in the USA, do you take away his medal? (Hell Hell No). Everybody knows the story of OJ. But his name at the Ralph is not a lifetime achievement award. Its a football achievement award. I think this is a very cogent argument. I also disagree. If any of the victims' friends or families saw the Simpson name up there, I think they would be hurt to know we were glorifying a man who did so much evil in their lives. Sports franchises shouldn't be in the business of hurting innocent people, or glorifying monsters. But I don't think it's a good idea to un-retire #32 because I'd hate to have it assigned to some rookie. Yeah, eventually it would become 'just another number' but the first kid to wear that number would have the number of our greatest player and worst villain on his back. That's too much to carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 With Simpson's name on the back? GO BILLS!!! they are out there - incredibly rare, but out there. I think i see more todd collins jerseys. heck, you had the one vikings fan show up in her AD jersey with a switch. but outside a VERY small group, OJ is not represented like the other old time greats in the league, and there is obviously a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE Bills Fan Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 He deserves to be up there based on his on-field accomplishments which were legendary back when he played. The other stuff should not be considered in my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 He deserves to be up there based on his on-field accomplishments which were legendary back when he played. The other stuff should not be considered in my opinion for those saying its football only, would there be any point where you reconsidered? if he was convicted? if it were an even worse crime? if he terribly bad mouthed the bills non-stop? what type of things might cross the line? or is there literally nothing possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbalaya Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I don't see how anyone could possibly vote to keep his name on the wall. It's like having a tattoo of Tom Brady on your ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 for those saying its football only, would there be any point where you reconsidered? if he was convicted? if it were an even worse crime? if he terribly bad mouthed the bills non-stop? what type of things might cross the line? or is there literally nothing possible? really! it's almost as though people are worrying about some sort of slippery-slope: "GEEZ, if we take is name down just because he murdered two people AFTER he played, then we're gonna have to scrutinize EVERYONE!" What if Lee Harvey Oswald had been a Bills DB who retired with the career interception record before he shot Kennedy? Would you want to see his name up there? What if Mark David Chapman was a perennial All-Pro Bills tight end and beloved team captain before he murdered John Lennon? Would you want to see his name up there? It's disgusting to me that what he did as a player could be more important to some Bills fans than those two people he slaughtered. Somehow because it's the Bills we want to forget what he did and just remember the good times. And I saw plenty his games in person. If you want to talk about what kind of player he was, I'll argue all day he was one of the 3 or 4 best of all time. But i don't want him honored in our stadium because he is a flat-out despicable sociopathic murderer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted William's frozen head Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Its embarrassing to have his name still up there. It doesn't matter what he accomplished when he played. He could have multiple MVPs and be solely responsible for a Super Bowl win and I'd still say pull it down. It makes the team/organization/community look like they're passively defending OJ as a person because he was a star athlete. We have plenty of other star athletes to celebrate that aren't connected to murder. For a Wall of "Fame", OJ Simpson is way more famous for being a criminal than a Buffalo Bill. In my opinion, removing his name is way, way, way overdue. Time to let it go. Take it down. Leave it up, but add some dried blood leaving trails beneath the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Many consider George Bush a terrible president who has cost us many lives. Do we say he should be removed from the list of those who succeeded (with some legalistic help) in becoming president? Of course not. Even an impeached president would remain on that list. Simpson is on the wall for what he accomplished as a Bill, not for what he did subsequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Many consider George Bush a terrible president who has cost us many lives. Do we say he should be removed from the list of those who succeeded (with some legalistic help) in becoming president? Of course not. Even an impeached president would remain on that list. Simpson is on the wall for what he accomplished as a Bill, not for what he did subsequently. Terrible analogy. GWB shouldn't be removed from a list of people who served as President any more than OJ should be excluded from a list of players who played for the Bills, set a rushing record, wore #32, etc. etc. The question is whether he should be SPECIALLY HONORED by the team. I say he's brought shame and dishonor to the franchise and should be taken down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 If we take OJ down, no more playing any Michael Jackson songs at the games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Terrible analogy. GWB shouldn't be removed from a list of people who served as President any more than OJ should be excluded from a list of players who played for the Bills, set a rushing record, wore #32, etc. etc. The question is whether he should be SPECIALLY HONORED by the team. I say he's brought shame and dishonor to the franchise and should be taken down. This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSOL Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) If we take OJ down, no more playing any Michael Jackson songs at the games. Beat it. No one likes to be defeated. Edited January 9, 2015 by mastershake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 There is only one man that could have taken OJ's name down off that wall, and that's Ronald Reagan. If someone knows a necromancer, I would suggest you call them up. While you're at it, tell Nancy to have my bean pies ready when I see her. She ain't getting off that easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackInDaDay Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I don't see how anyone could possibly vote to keep his name on the wall. It's like having a tattoo of Tom Brady on your ass. oj is to brady, as stadium is to ass is this an answer to one of Terry's interview questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Leave it up, but add some dried blood leaving trails beneath the name. Too soon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlamnSam Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 It continues to amaze me how people can trivialize a double-murder and put it into the "did a bad thing" category. I believe in separating sports from real life ... but for God's sake, you don't choose the sports accomplishments over the double murder. It's a societal flaw in which the importance of sports superiority trumps the importance of character. it's why when star high school athletes get caught doing things wrong - parents, teachers and administrators look the other way ... because winning is more important than teaching a life lesson. Winning is more important than doing the right thing. That is a problem. Hey gugny, is it a double murder if you didn't do it? Is it a double murder if you do it during a war? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hey gugny, is it a double murder if you didn't do it? Is it a double murder if you do it during a war? "I'd never done a crazy thing in my life before that night. Why is it that if a man kills another man in battle, it's called heroic, yet if he kills a man in the heat of passion, it's called murder?" -Glenn from Stan Mikita's Donuts, Wayne's World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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