Shannon Sharpe Disagrees With The Bills Snubbing O.J. Simpson

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Shannon Sharpe Disagrees With The Bills Snubbing O.J. Simpson

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Sep 20, 2026 5:32 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills chose not to honor their former star running back O.J. Simpson with any signage in their newly-opened stadium. For many Bills fans – especially older fans – that’s just not acceptable, no matter what opinions of him are now. It’s not sitting well with Shannon Sharpe either.

In an interview with Betty Jean Grant – an activist trying to get the Bills to change course and honor Simpson – Sharpe admonished the Bills for the decision to exclude Simpson from the stadium. He pointed out that it shows the ownership group “doesn’t agree with the verdict” of the infamous 1995 double murder trial where Simpson was acquitted and likened it to the George Zimmerman trial of 2013.

“In other words, y’all said y’all don’t agree with the verdict. I thought we were supposed to stand [behind] the verdict. I remember when George Zimmerman got off, the verdict spoke,” Sharpe said. “The jury spoke.”

Controversy Continues Years After Simpson’s Death

Shannon further pointed out that even after Simpson’s acquittal, he remained honored in the Bills’ stadium for decades. He demanded to know “what happened” between Simpson’s passing in 2024 and the stadium opening to result in the change.

“All that stuff that happened, he stayed up in the stadium,” Sharpe said. “They didn’t take his name down in the old stadium. So, what happened between his death and now?”

Feb 2, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Shannon Sharpe during red carpet arrivals for the NFL Honors show at the Fox Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ultimately, it’s probably going to be a tough sell to convince the Pegula family to change course. Simpson remained a controversial figure from the trial all the way until his death.

Having made their decision already, it seems unlikely that they’ll reverse it just because some fans oppose it.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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