O.J. Simpson will be released following nine years in prison in October after being granted parole last week, but not everyone is welcoming him back to the outside world.
USC head football coach Clay Helton said the former Trojans star running back will not be allowed on campus.
From ESPN:
“Right now with USC, what the administration and the athletic department have said is, no, O.J. will not be a part of our functions,” Helton said when asked if Simpson would be welcome to attend a practice. “That’s been the statement.”
Unsurprisingly, USC has not embraced Simpson’s legacy, even though he won a Heisman Trophy and a national title with the Trojans in the late 1960s. Alabama fans even made t-shirts making fun of Simpson’s connection to USC before their matchup last September.
Although this is a big stance from USC, it’s an answer to a non-problem. Simpson has not shown any desire to reconnect with USC and plans to live in Florida after his prison release.
[ESPN]
