It's been what, 15 years or so since that white Bronco sped down the 405? I remember watching this whole spectacle interrupt the NBA Finals that dreary summer so long ago. I never imagined this case would follow me from college, to a Day Job, to marriage, to AverageBaby.
Aparently, the madness ain't endin' no time soon.
Last November, OJ Simpson, the most famous murder defendant in modern history, triggered an outcry and a US publishing scandal when he tried to release a book in which he all but confessed to the crimes of which he was acquitted more than a decade ago.I was home sick this afternoon, so I peeped the Goldman's "Buy Our Book, We Need the Cash" Tour make it's stop on where else, Oprah's couch. For those of you who chide Oprah for "catering to middle aged white women", today would be Exhibit A. Not saying I agree, but I understand.
The families of the victims – his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her lover Ron Goldman – accused the former American football star of trading in blood money with the work, teasingly entitled If I Did It. Once again, they claimed, he had found a way to profit while shielding his vast assets from the $33.5M financial settlement he was ordered by a civil court to pay them.
However, this week – to general astonishment and not a little head-scratching – If I Did It is finally hitting US bookshelves. It is published not by HarperCollins but by a small private company called Beaufort Books. And the whole enterprise, remarkably, is endorsed and managed by Ron Goldman's father Fred.
Here's how it happened. Mr Goldman quickly overcame the disgust he expressed publicly last year and realised that the unpublished manuscript of If I Did It was an asset he could legitimately chase as part of Simpson's unpaid legal settlement.In other words, he decided the publicity the book would give Simpson might be less objectionable if the profits went into his pocket, rather than Simpson's.
I'm sure we all have our opinions on whether or not OJ "did it". Personally, I think he did, and furthermore, I think he had help. How else could a man with an arthritic knee whack two perfectly healthy people at once? There's also the small matter of the case still not being solved, nor having a single credible suspect since the Clinton Administration. Basically, ya' boy did it.
On the other hand, he also did beat the system. He practically invented the term "lawyer up". Johnny Cochran (RIP) pulled some magic out his ass, and lo an behold, quicker than you can say "Isotoner", the Juice was loose on the 17th hole, and the Goldmans, Browns, and probably 90% of white America have been hella salty ever since.
To this day, I still don't really understand why Negroes were celebrating and Electric Slidin' like we'd just won The Battle For Reparations when he got off. I mean, it ain't like this was Emmitt Smith, or Magic, or even R Kelly, you know, somebody black people actually liked. Honestly, I only knew of OJ from his post-RB days as an Avis pitchman and NBC commentator. I could have, and still could, give less than an eff'.
Despite winning a civil suit of darn near $40M when interest is taken into account, the Goldmans have only seen about $10,000 of this settlement since the Juice's NFL pension is protected. Damn, that Paul Tagliabue is a genius. I bet OJ laughs like a mug every 1st and 15th. Cut. The. Check.
On Oprah, the Goldmans claimed they're not really out for money since after legal fees, they will only make about 17 cents per copy sold. 17 Cents. Really!?!?! Personally, I find this a bit hard to believe. I know a thing or two about publishing contracts (hint) and this smells like a Grand Hu$tle to me.
They're going through a small indy publisher. They own full rights to the book, which is already #8 on the NY Times Bestseller List. Even a novice first time author generally gets about 12-15% of the wholesale price of every book sold, which is about $2 or so for a $15 book. If the attorney's fees are that deep in the cookie jar, then shame on your dumb ass for not hiring Greenburg and Bederman. So please, Ron Goldman, miss me with that bullshit.
Reality is, since they can't hit Juice's 401k and are tired of seeing that hulking Negro on the links everyday, they're strictly on "get rich or die tryin" mode here. By downplaying their potential profits and spinning this as "redemption for their son" the Goldmans are tugging at the emotional purse strings of a White America still looking to even the score that Cochran doled out in 94'. Even the Brown Family agrees, which is why they don't want any part of this sham.
This is purely about money. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Nicole Brown Simpson is crying inside.
Bereaved families have last word as OJ book finally hits the shelves [The Independent]
