OT: Greatest Bills Player of All Time Passes

[kccgold]

OJ Simpson, hero to all in Buffalo, passed away today at 76. He is known for the single season rushing title and the loss of his wife and her friend in 1994

[oldtimer]

Also known for driving a white Bronco.

[kccgold]

“Bills Mafia” mourns

[coach]

Probably all that stress over a completely innocent man having to go to trial for years!!!! Poor guy. Only the good die young. LOL>

[skeller6]

Had the opportunity to meet OJ on several occasions at Coles on Elmwood in Buffalo, and also had the opportunity to observe him interact with young fans at the "Rockpile" on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo (also known as War Memorial Stadium, official home of the Bills until 1973).

OJ was obviously a sociopath. My interactions with him were casual and brief. The first time I was an observer at a pre game meeting with neighborhood AA youngsters near the Rockpile. A group of 25 pre teen boys surrounded OJ on the sidewalk in front of the stadium, and asked for his autograph, which he gladly gave to them. He also took the time to tell these kids that they needed to go to school, study hard and get good grades! They listened very intently to his sound advice.

My other meetings with OJ were inside Coles, then a meeting place for myself and some Bona and CC alums. OJ was semi frequently in attendance with Don Criqi from CBS Sports, Dave Shatsel the owner of Coles, and OJ's USC and Bills team-mates Bob Chandler and Al Cowlings. OJ and company mixed very well with the younger crowd in the mid 1970's. Pleasant, approachable, always willing to exchange small talk, sign autographs, what ever, he went out of his way to mingle and make new friends and acquaintances.

In other words he was totally at ease in these environments. A perfect social diplomat.

Now for the dark side..........he was domestically abusive to this wives, a legend in the Amherst PD and the LAPD. In LAPD Detective Mark Fuhrman's book about the Brown/Goldman murders, Fuhrman describes in detail one of his encounters with OJ. This occurs a decade before the murders, when Fuhrman was a patrol officer assigned to Brentwood (and prior to his promotion to the LAPD homicide detective unit). A domestic call is received by LAPD for OJ's address in Brentwood. Fuhrman and another LAPD unit are dispatched to the address. Fuhrman had been there before on other calls, but arrives to find OJ smashing out the windows of Nicole's MB with a baseball bat. Fuhrman approaches OJ, who is in a fit of violent rage. OJ turns toward Fuhrman with the bat raised.........Fuhrman orders OJ to drop the bat, OJ freezes with the bat still raised, again Fuhrman orders OJ to drop the bat and stand down. Suddenly OJ drops the bat to the ground, turns toward Fuhrman, and says "Ok Mark how are you doing?"...............just like they were old friends ! Classic sociopathic behavior, as per my psych courses at SBU.......the rage switch turned off and on at a moments notice.

Of course we know of the horrific murders that OJ was later to commit with an army assault knife............he had previously used the same knife to slash Nicole's car tires the prior week......and ironically, just prior to the killings, he had worked a network pilot tv show about a Navy Seal team (the program was never placed into production).

Was OJ's behavior the result of CTE injuries from his football career in high school, college and the pro's ? Or was he a true sociopath? We will probably never know the answer to those questions.

OJ's rapid decline and descent into a prison inmate was a life and career lost........he needed intensive counseling to overcome some severe and deep seated psychopathic tendencies, unfortunately he never received that assistance, and never sought it out either......