The whole O.J. Simpson murder case was full of odd twists and outrageous developments but I'm not sure any were odder than what's happening now. On November 27 and 29, Fox will broadcast a two-part interview with the man entitled, O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened. This will presumably cover the same ground as a forthcoming book in which Simpson will "theorize" how he would have committed the slayings of his ex-wife and her friend. The book's publisher, Judith Regan, is conducting the TV interview.
A lot of people are expecting this to be a confession in which Simpson will explain how he did it without explicitly admitting that he did it. I don't know why they assume this. He could well "tell all"…but he could also decide to make the explanation of how he killed those two people too complex and full of things that could not have happened. In other words, this could be an attempt to argue his innocence by saying, in effect, "Look…even if I tried to confess, the confession doesn't fit with the known facts."
Of course, this is being logical and very little about this case has ever been logical. Simpson could be so punchy and reckless by now, he might not be operating with an ounce of sense or even consistency in his guilty noggin. That recent "hidden camera" show he did suggests a man who doesn't know what he's doing…or maybe doesn't care. But he does have that huge judgment hanging over his head, and Fred Goldman has stated several times that he would waive it if Simpson would just confess. O.J. stands to make something like 3.5 million for the interview and book, and that's a pretty big invitation for the Goldmans to haul his murdering ass back into court to try and claim that money. To confess without confessing — assuming he doesn't go the route described above and turn the "confession" into an argument for innocence — doesn't make a lot of sense just from that standpoint. To confess for real might enable him to keep that 3.5 mil, or at least to put Fred Goldman on the defensive if he goes after the money. ("Hey, the guy promised to drop that if I confessed and I've confessed.")
Then again, it's got to have driven Simpson crazy (or crazier) that stardom and financial reward have been so elusive since his acquittal. He obviously thought that there was an exploitable market out there for him. 30-40% of the country told pollsters they thought he was innocent, and you'd think you'd be able to make billions selling product to 30% of the country. You could also, you'd imagine, sell books, TV specials, merchandise, etc. to the curious folks who thought he was a brutal double-murderer. After the first verdict, Simpson had a whole game plan to wring cash out of those audiences…dozens of deals that fell through. He never got the book deal he imagined. The pay-per-view interview that was supposed to net him five million bucks never happened. The cheapo videotape he did instead was a spectacular flop that proved that even people who thought he was as innocent and cute as a baby panda weren't willing to shell out money for his side of the story. His Internet TV station ("OJTV") did even worse.
It's dangerous to try and think, "What would I do if I was in his position?" You and I wouldn't have done anything he did. But at some point, it has to have dawned on the guy that the only thing he has to offer that anyone wants is that confession and whatever closure that brings to those of us who followed that ghastly trial. It's kind of fascinating that he still clings to the idea that he can sell the confession and sell his innocence at the same time.
And for what it's worth, I'd like everyone to know that for 3.5 million dollars, I would gladly confess to the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. In fact, this week only, I'll do it for half that and I'll also take responsibility for the Iraq War, the killing of Robert Blake's wife, and the NBC Fall schedule. Act now.