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 O.J.
Simpson Bronco - In June, 1994 former
football legend, actor and broadcaster O. J.
Simpson was implicated as the primary suspect in
the brutal murders of his former wife Nicole
Brown-Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. In
an attempt to escape prosecution, O. J. entered
his 1993 white Ford Bronco and raced across
Southern California freeways in hopes of eluding
authorities. Simpson's friend A.C. Cowling drove
the car.
The incident became part of a media frenzy as TV
station coverage broadcast the event from the
air to 95 million viewers who watched Mr.
Simpson's Bronco lead the local police and the
California Highway Patrol on a merry low-speed
chase throughout the Southland. Under pressure
to surrender, O. J. returned to his home where
he was taken under custody. He was later found
"not" guilty on October 3, 1995 in a
controversial trial that made media celebrity's
out of O.J.'s lawyer Johnny Cochran (died 2005)
and opposing counsel Marcia Clark who prosecuted
the case. Simpson was later found guilty in a
"wrongful death civil suit" and ordered to pay
nearly 40 million dollars in damages.
Later, A.C. Cowling made an offer with a
Startifacts, a Minnesota-based corporation to
"sell, assign, grant, transfer and convey" his
rights to the Bronco for $75,000 (License
3DHY503). However, at the last minute Cowling
backed out of the deal allegedly so he could get
a better offer. Startifacts sued Cowling over
the matter.
In May 2006, O.J. Simpson appeared in a
one-hour pay-for-view TV special called JUICED,
a candid-camera styled show (produced by Xtreme
Entertainment Group) in the vein of Ashton
Kutcher's MTV show PUNK'D. In one spot, O.J.
tries to sell a white Bronco to an unsuspecting
used-car lot customer. Talking up the infamous
vehicle, Simpson quipped, "It was good for
me--it helped me get away. It's a car that I
personally made famous. The car has
escape-ability if you ever into some trouble."
Of course, not everybody was amused with
Simpson's attempt at humor. Fred Goldman, the
father of the Ron Goldman, called the program
"morally reprehensible."
TRIVIA NOTE: O.
J. Simpson had appeared in a successful series
of ad spots for Hertz rental car in which he is
seen leaping over luggage and other airport
obstacles in an effort to catch an airline
flight. Ironically, after Simpson's arrest,
Hertz stopped using athletes in their
advertising campaigns.
In addition, because of Simpson's association
with the Hertz rental car firm, his wife's
murder trial spawned a number of Hertz related
jokes, such as:
- Did you hear about Hertz's new billboard?
It's a picture of O.J. Simpson with a caption,
"Hertz: For Great Getaways!"
-
Q: What was Nicole Simpson's last words?
A: Stop, O.J.! It Hertz!
-
Q: Whatever drove O.J. to kill his wife?
A: A Hertz Rent-A-Car.
- I heard that O.J. lost his Hertz Rental Car
endorsement contract, but he has a new
endorsement offer. Taco Bell has hired him to
"Run for the Border." [also the Chicago Cutlery
and Ginsu Knives Company]
- Who's hiring O.J. as a spokesman now?
Hearse - Rent - A - Car.
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