O.J. Simpson has been moved to his own prison cell to be away from other inmates as he awaits his release for his own protection.
The 70-year-old former football star was granted parole during a Thursday hearing following his 2007 Las Vegas robbery arrest. Given the attention surrounding him, prison officials have now placed him in protective custody at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada until he goes free on Oct. 1.
“His parole could make him a target here,” Nevada Department of Corrections spokesperson Brooke Keast told CNN. “He just has two-and-a-half months to go, and we don’t want someone trying to make a name for themselves thinking, ‘I’m going to go punch O.J. Simpson in the face.’” Or worse …
Many of the other inmates in the medium-security facility are serving life sentences and may feel they have nothing left to lose, Keast explained.
“We just don’t want anyone trying to make a name for themselves,” she continued. “We’ve been able to protect him for nine years.”
Simpson, who was acquitted in 1995 of killing ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, said on Thursday that he intends to move to Florida and may start a blog.