O.J. Simpson is left out of Buffalo’s “Family Circle”

When the Buffalo Bills open their new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium’s “Family Circle,” O.J. Simpson, one of the greatest running backs in the team’s and the NFL’s history, will be sitting on the bench. 

This decision removes him from the physical plaques that will greet fans at the stadium’s main entrance, reducing the number of inductees from 31 to 30.

Bills COO Pete Guelli stated, “We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and Family Circle.”

The team did not elaborate further, offering no apology for decades of honoring Simpson on the franchise’s Wall of Fame, which he helped create in 1980 as the first inductee.

In 1973, he became the first player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, earning NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year honors.

 But in 1994, Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. 

He was acquitted in 1995, but later found liable in a civil case, paying $33.5 million in damages. 

Although a jury found him not guilty of the murders, many still believe Simpson was guilty, although L.A. police may have planted evidence to convict him.

He also served nine years in prison for separate robbery and kidnapping charges before dying in 2024.

 The Bills began distancing themselves from Simpson under late owner Ralph Wilson after the 1994 trial, a process continued by current owners Terry and Kim Pegula.