The long ordeal is finally over– both for ex-footballer OJ Simpson and an OJ-weary public. O.J. was granted parole Thursday after almost 9 years in prison for a bungled heist of sports memorabilia that he claimed had been stolen from him.
Simpson, now 70, was sentenced to a 9-33 year term in prison. In October, he will have served the minimum 9 years of that sentence. The vote to grant him parole was unanimous.
Simpson said “thank you” profusely as he rose from his seat to return to his cell.Simpson continued to emphasize that he was only trying to “get [his] stuff back” and never meant to hurt anyone. He acknowledged that recovering his items, though, “just wasn’t worth it.”
More than a few observers have said that his sentence of 9-33 years was way out of proportion to the crime. OJ was being punished, they said, for being acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
One of the memorabilia dealers Simpson robbed, a man named Bruce Fromong, appeared before the parole board and backed up Simpson’s claims that he never pointed a gun at him during the confrontation. He said Simpson deserved to be released.
