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20252026NFLWeek 2

Former Buffalo Official Renews Fight To Honor OJ Simpson At New Stadium, Sparking Bitter Debate

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This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Split image of OJ Simpson and Betty Jean Grant
OJ Simpson and Betty Jean Grant (Photos via Getty Images & X)

Buffalo opened Highmark Stadium this summer, capping the most significant infrastructure investment in franchise history. The $2.1 billion venue replaced the team’s old home across the street, bringing a new Wall of Fame display along with it.

Nearly every honoree from the old stadium made the transition smoothly. One name, though, didn’t survive the move.

That exclusion hasn’t gone away quietly, and it’s back in the headlines again.

An Activist Is Pushing For A Reversal

OJ Simpson waving
OJ Simpson (Photo via Imagn Images)

Former Buffalo Common Council member and Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant has spent months publicly pressing the Bills to add O.J. Simpson back to the new stadium’s Family Circle display.

Simpson’s name appeared on the old Wall of Fame for 46 years before the team left him out of the new venue entirely.

“O.J. is a big part of the Buffalo Bills’ history and will be forever,” Grant claimed. “You can’t change that.”

Bills president of business operations, Pete Guelli, addressed the decision directly back in June. “We have made an organizational decision that he is not a fit to display inside our new stadium and family circle,” he said, per ESPN, offering no further detail.

Grant doesn’t believe the reason is good enough and has pressed the team to either provide clarity or restore Simpson’s honor.

Simpson was tried and acquitted in the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, though he was later found liable for their deaths in a 1997 civil case. He rushed for 2,003 yards in 1973, becoming the first NFL player to break 2,000 yards in a 14-game season.

Reaction Has Split Sharply Along Familiar Lines

OJ Simpson in jumpsuit
OJ Simpson (Photo by Issac Brekken-Pool/Getty Images)

Reaction to Grant’s advocacy led to a heated online debate.

“I’m sorry for being blunt but this is so deeply stupid. He was a serial abuser and murdered two people. The team getting a new stadium was an obvious breakpoint. To put on a cape for OJ Simpson in 2026 is to prove yourself foolish,” The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones wrote.

“Well i guess your word is more valuable than the court system. Nevermind they did a whole case and have him acquitted. So lets follow your word, lets just remove him from everything. HOF, Walk of fame, the record books. Delete it all,” one fan responded.

“Doesnt matter what we think we cant let opinions be a deciding factor vs facts. Fact is whether we like it or not he was acquitted,” another added.

“Foolish is to hold something against a man something that a jury acquitted him of. He was never convicted of murder that was your opinion. His name should stay up,” one more fan wrote.

“She saying that the bills should be transparent. What’s so stupid about that?” another user asked.

“It’s tricky. O.J. was a huge part of Bills football history and his on-field accomplishments merit Ring of Honor status. A lot of NFL players would be erased if off-the-field behavior/crimes were the measuring stick,” one fan offered.

The Bills have not indicated any plans to reverse their decision.

Grant’s group continues gathering support, though the Family Circle display remains unchanged as the season gets underway.

Simpson has remained a recurring headline well beyond the stadium debate, too, with his longtime former girlfriend’s own legal troubles keeping his name in the news even months after his death.

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