Nationwide — Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson will not be honored at the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium in upstate New York despite his historic impact with the team. The team owner says his legacy does not align with the stadium’s environment because of his legal history and criminal background.
The new Buffalo Bills stadium, Highmark Stadium, cost about $2.1 billion and took three years to complete. The venue features a Wall of Fame meant to highlight key figures in the team’s history, but Simpson’s name is not included among the honored legends, according to NBC News.
Inside the stadium, the team highlighted key figures who shaped its history. Simpson, who was the Bills’ No. 1 draft pick in 1969, is noticeably left out of the display as the franchise focuses on other long-term contributors.
Team executive Pete Guelli said the organization made a deliberate decision regarding his exclusion, saying, “he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle.”
On the field, O.J. Simpson built a standout career with Buffalo. He played nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the team and became the first player in league history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
His legacy later became overshadowed by major legal developments. In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home, and Simpson became the focus of a high-profile investigation.
He fled from police during an attempted arrest, leading to a televised low-speed chase in a white Ford Bronco that drew national attention. Simpson was later acquitted in the 1995 criminal trial, though a civil court found him liable in a wrongful death case.
In 2008, Simpson was convicted in a Las Vegas armed robbery case tied to sports memorabilia. He served prison time before being released on parole. Simpson died in 2024 at the age of 76 after battling cancer.