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December 4, 2006 Even 12 years later, there's a question as to whether or not OJ Simpson legally killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. He was found not guilty by a jury of his peers in the criminal trial, but was later found responsible for their wrongful deaths by a civil jury and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the Brown and Goldman families. One thing that is certain, though, is that Simpson almost killed my radio career in 1997. Literally. Nine years ago this week, the annual UCLA-USC football game was going through its week of hype, with the Bruins looking to win for the fifth year in a row against the arch-rival Trojans. So, the genius who ran the radio station I worked on at the time decided to do his own unique job of hyping the game, which meant getting America's most hated Heisman Trophy winner on my show. Simpson, before his infamy, was a Hall of Fame football player who cut and slashed his way to a 64-yard run that beat the Bruins in 1968. So, this radio station GM gets OJ to come on the Thursday night before the game. It was supposed to be a taped interview Thursday afternoon, so the GM could be there while I talked with Simpson. Oh, I forgot to mention one thing here – I wasn't allowed to ask the world's most infamous former defendant anything about the murder case. That was the agreement reached with Simpson's lawyers before they would agree to let him come on the air. Like I said, the radio station exec was a genius.  OJ could cut and slash on the football field too. Anyway, I wasn't happy about the agreement, and at first balked ferociously about doing the interview under those conditions. I tried to explain to the genius that we as a radio station and I as host/journalist would be reviled by the public and destroyed by other media outlets if we only asked Simpson about football. I agreed that it was a great opportunity to get publicity for the station, but only if it were done properly. Well, the GM was adamant, and basically told me I was fired if I didn't do it his way. Liking the fact that I was getting a nice weekly paycheck, I caved and showed up that afternoon at 1 PM as scheduled. OJ didn't. Yours truly was the most relieved man in America. My job was safe, and I didn't have to abandon any of my principles to keep it. The show went on that night, and we did hype the game, which was being broadcast two days later on my station. At the time, my show went from 3-7 PM EST, and at about 6:30 the hotline lit up. It was the radio genius, informing me that OJ would be calling in for the final segment and that the original agreement was still in place. " That *&%$#" I thought to myself. I was either going to do it his way or be looking for a new job the next day. I did it his way, and later wished I were looking for a new job. The interview went fine – football and nothing but football – then it was over, and all hell broke loose. Listeners called in attacking me for letting Simpson off the hook without asking about the murders. Well, after about four of these calls, I'd had enough. I proceeded to tell the audience about the agreement made with Simpson, and that if I wanted to keep my job, I had to do it the genius' way. The show ended, and I packed my bag and bolted out of the studio. I was supposed to go to an invitation-only function that night, a reunion of many former UCLA football players, but I was so angry and embarrassed that I decided to go home and shut off the phones, because I knew that every Radio/TV columnist in LA would be calling for a comment, and I knew I couldn't hold my tongue. So, I walked out the studio door and down the hall, when the genius' personal assistant stopped me and said I had a phone call. She's a very nice lady who I assumed was just trying to cheer me up. I sarcastically said "Who is it, OJ?" expecting a laugh. Instead, I got a look and a response of "yes, it is." Now I was really infuriated, thinking she was trying to rub it in. I walked past her without saying a word when she grabbed my arm, and with eyes wide open said, "Joe, it really is him. He wants to talk to you." Realizing she was deadly serious, I walked into the GM's office and picked up the receiver, and sure enough it was OJ. "Joe, I just want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you stuck to the agreement," said Simpson, "and because you did, I'll come in the studio with you for an hour or two, and you can ask me anything you'd like about the case or anything else." "No restrictions?" I asked/demanded. "None," he replied. Amazingly, I began to feel better immediately. For about a second.
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