OJ Simpson: If I Did It

Oakland attorney John Burris was a part of the "dream team" defense that earned O.J. Simpson an acquittal in 1995 in the lurid double-murder trial that captivated the nation. So when he heard that Simpson had written a book called, "If I Did It,'' Burris' response was simple and direct.
"Has O.J. lost his mind? I can't imagine anything more ridiculous.''
That seems to be the consensus. It could be said that the national reaction was split 50-50. Half the country thought it was the dumbest idea they'd ever heard, and the other half thought Simpson was out of his mind.
Oh, and that's not to mention the two one-hour television interviews with Simpson to be conducted on Fox television by Judith Regan, the book's publisher, on Nov. 27 and 29. Regan's company, ReganBooks, is a subsidiary of News Corp., which also owns Fox.
"This makes Fox's 'Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?' look like 'Masterpiece Theatre,' " said Bob Thompson, director for of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.
Frankly, it is even worse than that. This is a sleazy reach for ratings -- the interviews will air in the last week of ratings sweeps -- and book-buying buzz. There's money to be made for Fox and for the publisher.
But everyone is asking: Why is Simpson doing this?
The obvious guess is that Simpson needs money, but Burris says that's a misconception. He says -- and a 1997 court hearing in Santa Monica confirms -- that Simpson is pulling in roughly $25,000 a month from a "profit-sharing pension account.''
Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the heirs of his slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, but much of the judgment has not been paid because most of Simpson's assets were tied up in his pension account -- which is shielded from creditors by state law. It is unclear whether any money he may make from the book could be used to pay part of the judgment.
So why would Simpson expose himself to more doubts, accusations and anger with the book and TV interviews? Burris thinks the key is a conversation he had over dinner with the late Johnnie Cochran, head of Simpson's defense team.
Cochran said he thought Simpson had never recovered from the loss of his celebrity status as a Heisman Trophy-winning, NFL-record-setting superstar.
"O.J. wants back what he had,'' Cochran told Burris. "He wants to be the O.J. that he was.''
This will certainly put Simpson back in the spotlight. It can be argued that this is the best "get'' in the news business. To have an interview with Simpson in which he appears to confess to the most famous murders in recent American history is a surefire ratings and bookselling bonanza.
"I guess the only thing bigger would be to bring Princess Diana back from the dead,'' says Robert Calo, a senior lecturer at UC Berkeley and former network news producer at ABC and NBC. "In terms of American stories, O.J. Simpson is a special case.''
The question -- and get ready for weeks of speculation -- is this: What is Simpson really saying? A magazine called Life & Style Weekly says in an upcoming issue that Simpson is asked to read a chapter from the book during his Fox interview and bursts into tears. The magazine quotes an unnamed source as saying, "It sounds like he's confessing.''
But is he? He could, of course. He's already been acquitted. He can't be tried again. But with a title like "If I Did It,'' he and Regan are building in plenty of wiggle room.
"If the word 'if' weren't in the title,'' says Thompson, "it would be newsworthy. But if, as I suspect, it is just a typical O.J. tirade, and the title is simply a way to get attention, it is absolutely sick and downright creepy.''
And by the way, where's the journalism in this? Simpson is being interviewed by his publisher, not a hard-hitting journalist or attorney. Even Fox admits this isn't a news show. It is appearing as programming on the Fox network, which is the entertainment arm.
"If you ever wanted to know what media critics are afraid of, here it is,'' says Cal's Calo. "It doesn't smell like news, or not anymore. You can't tell.''
And finally, what does that say about us? It is easy to say that Simpson should pipe down and move on, but will you be able to resist watching the interviews or buying the book? Thompson is hoping for the best.
"I wouldn't want to bet my retirement fund that this is going to be No. 1 (ratings winner) for the week,'' he says. "There's a chance people will collectively ignore it.''
And wouldn't that be encouraging? Unfortunately, history suggests otherwise. It's simple. Did O.J. Simpson get away with murder? Everyone still wants to know.