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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

O.J. Simpson's standing invitation to Canton ceremonies unaffected

NFL

O.J. Simpson will remain an annual invitee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies after his release from a Nevada prison.

Contacted Friday about the possibility of Simpson attending the yearly event, Hall of Fame officials said, "All Hall of Famers are invited to attend the annual enshrinement.''

Simpson, 70, has served nine years of a nine- to 33-year sentence for his 2008 conviction on armed robbery and kidnapping charges. A Nevada parole board voted unanimously Thursday to grant Simpson his release from prison as early as Oct. 1.

Simpson indicated during Thursday's parole hearing that he wants to relocate to Florida after his release.

Simpson, a Hall of Fame running back who was enshrined in 1985, could conceivably attend the annual enshrinement weekend once any parole restrictions related to travel are lifted.

Simpson has not attended the Hall's enshrinement ceremonies since the year he was inducted.

Simpson's bust has remained on display since he was enshrined. The Hall of Fame's bylaws stipulate that only a player's on-field achievements in football are considered as the criteria for enshrinement.

Sunday will mark the anniversary of the only time Simpson's bust has not been on display in the Hall of Fame. Simpson's bust was stolen from the Hall of Fame on July 23, 1995 -- during his murder trial.

The bust was stolen just as the museum was about to close for the evening. This was before the Hall of Fame had bolted down each bust. The bust was located the following day by an Ohio Department of Transportation crew, about 50 miles south of Canton, Ohio, the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Simpson's parole will expire Sept. 29, 2022, and he must live under the terms of his release during that time. Under the provisions of his parole, Simpson will initially go into a program run by Nevada's Division of Parole and Probation, and he will report to a supervising officer.

He will also have to submit to drug tests and present written reports each month to his supervising officer until his parole expires.

Simpson rushed for 11,236 yards in an 11-year NFL career, and he was the first running back in league history to top 2,000 rushing yards in a season with 2,003 yards in 1973. He is the only player to rush for 2,000 yards in a 14-game season; the others did so after the NFL went to a 16-game regular-season schedule.

In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and Ron Goldman after a highly publicized trial. The trial and its aftermath was the subject of "O.J.: Made in America,'' an Oscar-winning documentary that aired on ESPN earlier this year.

Simpson's lawyer referenced the 1995 trial in a press conference after Simpson's parole hearing Thursday, calling it "the 10,000-pound elephant in that room ... I think we were very successful in making sure that elephant was sleeping and that it was washed and very clean and that it never started to rear its head.''

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