Pro Football Hall of Fame flew flag at half staff for O.J. Simpson, while the Bills did nothing

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Pro Football Hall of Fame flew flag at half staff for O.J. Simpson, while the Bills did nothing

By Mke Florio
Published April 13, 2024 02:26 PM

The death of O.J. Simpson has sparked very different reactions in some circles, despite the fact that he killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1994.

An item from Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com paints the contrast in jaw-dropping terms.

The Buffalo Bills did nothing to commemorate Simpson’s passing. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, in addition to issuing a lengthy statement that didn’t mention his murders, actually lowered its flag to half staff in honor of Simpson.

The Hall of Fame is a bit of an odd place, frankly. There doesn’t seem to be anyone who can make big decisions without running it by a committee where it would die until well after the moment for action passes. And the Hall of Fame’s convictions seemed to be rooted not in principles but in policies that remain rigid and inflexible, until they suddenly change for no apparent reason.

Dan Pompei of TheAthletic.com wrote an item regarding the likelihood that Simpson’s bust will remain in Canton. At this point, why wouldn’t it? If they didn’t melt it down after the murders in 1994 or the civil judgment of wrongful death that followed the inexplicable acquittal or the felony conviction that put him behind bars for nearly nine years in Nevada, there’s no reason for Simpson to be removed simply because he’s no longer alive.

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[JT45242]

1. Inertia is a real thing .... and the point of keeping the doors open is real

Since the policy is
a) when a member of the HOF dies, the flag will be flown at half mast...

then the grounds staff must obey the policy to be in compliance and keep their job.

I lived near the Football HOF for 6 years in college and just after.

While I was teaching in Akron, I literally drove the school van past it at least 12 times a year for various academic competitions for Academic Challenge, Science Bowl, etc. For personla travels, I have literally driven past the exit at least 250 times.

I never once went to the HOF. I am a huge fan of pro football. I never went.

My son went with his Boy Scout troop on their way up to the Adirondacks to go camping and canoeing. He said it was awesome. He was upset when he compared Kenny Anderson's stats to a bunch of the QB who were in since he grew up as a Bengals fan and loved the left handed (like him) QB that took the Bengals to their first SB loss to Joe Montana's 49ers.

But I have never been. You would think that with the amount of pro football fans within a 4 hour drive (Lions, Steelers, Colts, Brown, Bengals, Bills) that they would do more advertising. If you go to 6-7 hour drive and you get even more fan bases.

The HOF in Canton just doesn't change and because of that it finds it hard to attract more fans.

[Xavier Breath]

2. Coincidentally I was there the summer of '94

when the whole OJ thing was bowing up, though that had nothing t d with the trip. I had always wanted to go visit and my uncle suggested we take a trip up there. We live on the other side of the state, so it took a few hours to get there. I'd have to say that I was underwhelmed. I know that to be true beacuse in the subsequent 30 years I have never once uttered "I need to get back there."