15 Years Later, Simpson's Bad Judgement Still Baffles

CLEVELAND - O.J. Simpson is arguably the biggest idiot in the history of the United States. He was the kid born into poverty with a physical impediment that grew into an iconic pro athlete and then, a beloved Hollywood celebrity, only to give it all away of his own free will by murdering two people.

Wow.

It was a hard-to-believe yet easy-to-believe 15 years ago today that Simpson infamously murdered his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman outside of her condo in the posh L.A. neighborhood of Brentwood. The crime led to a highly publicized trial and with it, an international fixation with every minute detail of the alluring case that had it all; sex, domestic abuse, drugs, interracial marriage and celebrity.

For Simpson, his tremendous lack of judgement and apparent uncontrolled temper ruined the privileged life he worked so hard to attain. To the public, he was endlessly charming, disarming and well-spoken. Though handsome, it was his obvious intellect that endeared him to many in his circle. His wholesome image and cool nicknames (O.J. and The Juice) made his career as product endorser a pipeline to scores of children who wanted to be like him. In short, he was America's favorite son.

When O.J. met Nicole Brown in 1977, he was in the twilight of a Hall of Fame NFL career that earned him constant praise. He was also 30 years old (young outside of pro sports) who was front and center in the endlessly lavish West Los Angeles lifestyle enjoyed by wealthy celebrities. Nicole was an 18-year old waitress from an unassuming city called Dana Point. When they got together, she was seen as his trophy and after they wed in 1985, his possession. Their seven-year marriage produced two children and one public scandal; the famous 1989 incident when Nicole called the cops on O.J. after a spat grew physical. In the end, it was nothing more than a blip on Simpson's squeaky clean image.

Perhaps it was things such as that incident that led O.J. to believe he could get away with anything. Their marriage ended on a sour note in 1992 and their attempt at a reconciliation in 1993 proved disastrous. Still, no one outside of maybe Nicole herself foresaw the stunning events of that late Spring day 15 years ago. Years later, Simpson wrote extensively in a book about how inconsistent Nicole's personality became in her last couple years. He also claims that she was abusive in her own way to him and did things that would push anyone's buttons.

Let's play Devil's Advocate.

Suppose O.J. is telling the truth. Let's say that Nicole was abusive to him and he tried repeatedly to turn the other cheek. Let's say she did a ton of ill-advised things that jeopardized her young children's well being and let's say she had an insatiable drug habit as has been reported. I personally can empathize with any guy that has dealt with a woman like that. I'm not saying that this is all true about her; I'm just saying let's assume it was to make a point.

It would be very understandable for Simpson to want to destroy her. If she was as careless with their children as he says (and it is very possible), can we really blame him for being so enraged that he would think irrationally? To borrow a famous line from comedian Chris Rock: "I'm not saying he should have killed her, but I understand!"

Look, Simpson was wrong for murdering two people regardless of if it was prompted. I could easily say that no one deserves to be killed, but that would be naive to say because sometimes a person does deserve it. What troubles me about O.J.'s decision that night is that he allowed another person to get so under his skin that it ruined his life and ended theirs. We all know that our temper mixed with the heat of the moment can often lead to poor choices. But Simpson had everything in life; four beautiful children, a film career, a broadcasting career, a sprawling L.A. mansion, awesome cars, a legion of fans, a sexy young girlfriend (Paula Barbieri) and millions of dollars in the bank.

And most of all, his good name.

Nothing was ever the same for O.J. Simpson after June 12, 1994. Even when he was shockingly acquitted of all charges in October of 1995, he was seen as a pariah and the murderer that walked because of his money and fame. Even the iconic attorney that steered his amazing acquittal, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. (who died in 2005) was seen as a snake by many.

I was at the end of my 11th grade school year when this crime took place. I wrote articles about it and watched wall-to-wall coverage of the goings on in the preliminary hearing and actual trial. It was an undeniably historic flash point, and it actually felt like it at the time. I was an enormous fan of the case, though I paid Simpson no attention prior to the murders and was only tantalized by it once I saw Nicole's photo on television. I never knew she was white, and because of my decades-long fixation with white females, it stirred my interest.

Of course, Simpson is in prison now for a ridiculous 2007 caper in which he tried to take back sports memorabilia and other of his personal artifacts by pulling a gun on a group of guys who were trying to sell it. Simpson had been found liable in a 1997 civil trial for both murders in 1994 and owed tens of millions of dollars to murder victim Ron Goldman's family, money which Simpson had long refused to pay.

Many saw the 2008 conviction as 'revenge' for 1994. I believe it was too which is yet another sad chapter to this perplexing story. O.J. Simpson grew to symbolize the achievement of the American Dream, then he lost his sense and appreciation for the life he was blessed with and became America's nightmare.

Let's all learn from this sad story.