What's Next for OJ Simpson? A Move to Florida, and Maybe a Blog

After his 1995 acquittal in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, OJ Simpson famously pledged to find “the real killers.” That ambition didn’t come up at Simpson’s parole hearing Thursday, but he did mention moving to Florida and starting a blog.

After nine years in prison on robbery charges, Simpson will be released from the Lovelock Correctional Facility in Nevada on October 1, thanks to the 4-0 decision by Nevada’s parole board.

“I could easily stay in Nevada, but I don’t think you guys want me here,” Simpson told the board.

Also Read: Best OJ Simpson Reactions to Parole Decision: 'Now OJ Can Find the Real Killers'

How Simpson plans to make money is unclear — and he may not need to. ESPN calculated that Simpson, 70, could receive as much as $10,565 a month from the NFL , assuming he didn’t start dipping into his pension until he was 65. He could also receive SAG payments for his on-camera work.

Simpson said in a letter that was read by his lawyer during the parole hearing that he might start “a webcast or blog” with the computer skills he learned while in prison. Most webcasts and blogs don’t make much money — but most aren’t hosted by OJ Simpson.

Any attempt to cash in on his notoriety will be carefully watched, because the Brown and Goldman families won a $33 million judgement against him in a 1997 civil trial, and he has not come close to paying them. He moved to Florida in part because state laws there makes it easier for him to keep his home and other assets.

Also Read: CNN's Jeffrey Toobin Goes All in on OJ Simpson: 'Guilt... Was Completely Obvious' (Video)

Last year’s documentary, “OJ: Made in America,” showed that Simpson signed autographs and attempted a prank show, “Juiced,” to make money between the civil and robbery trials. The Goldman family relentlessly pursued his gains from every cash grab — including a book called “If I Did It” in which he speculated about how he could have killed Brown and Goldman.

The Goldmans famously won the rights to the book, minimized the typeface on “If” so that the title appeared to read simply “I Did It,” and stripped Simpson’s name, instead calling him “The Killer.”

At some point, Simpson resorted to robbery — though he said at Thursday’s hearing that he went to the Palace Station hotel to retrieve family items from memorabilia collectors, not sports collectibles of any value. Either way, the trip yielded him a 33-year prison sentence. Even his critics concede it was probably so harsh because of the widespread sense he’s gotten away with murder.

In the months leading up to his release, Simpson will meet with case workers in the Nevada Department of Corrections to arrange the terms of his parole. The case workers will set dates for meetings with a parole officer, and establish Simpson’s support network, including his four children.

Simpson’s close friend Tom Scotto told The Washington Post that Simpson will move into his house in Naples before getting a place of his own. Should that happen, Simpson will have to attend additional hearings under Florida’s Department of Corrections to set parole terms there. He’ll be treated like a parolee under Florida’s jurisdiction, and if he violates any parole terms, he can be sent back to Nevada to carry out the remainder of his sentence.

His oldest daughter, Arnelle Simpson, testified Thursday that he was her “best friend” and her “rock.”

“We just want him to come home,” she said.

When Simpson returned home to affluent Brentwood after his 1995 trial, he found himself a pariah in many circles — including at the Riviera, his favorite country club.

Maybe Florida will be more forgiving.

'A Conflict-Free Life'?: OJ Simpson's Journey From Football Star to Prisoner to Free Man (Photos)

Thanks to Nevada's parole board, OJ Simpson will be a free man in October.

From USC football star to playing in the NFL, from appearing in a Hertz commercial to starring in "The Naked Gun," and from being a murder suspect to getting acquitted, TheWrap takes a look at O.J. Simpson's bizarre life.
Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, California.
Simpson played for his high school's football team, the Galileo Lions. He then enrolled at City College of San Francisco in 1965 and played football both ways as a running back and defensive back.
Many colleges sought after Simpson as a transfer student, but he chose USC, where he played running back for head coach John McKay in 1967 and 1968.
"O.J. Made in America"
In 1967 at the age of 19, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley, and the couple had three children. One of the kids drowned in the family's swimming pool one month before her second birthday.
In 1967, Simpson was a junior at USC and in that year's Victory Bell rivalry game against UCLA, USC was down by six points in the fourth quarter. Simpson's 64-yard touchdown tied the score, and the extra point provided a 21-20 lead -- the play is now regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century.
"O.J. Made in America"
As a senior, he rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns, earning him the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award.
"O.J. Made in America"
In 1969, Simpson was drafted by the AFL's Buffalo Bills, but he demanded what was then known as the largest contract in professional sports history: $650,000 over five years. Bills' owner Ralph Wilson refused, to which Simpson threatened to become a professional actor -- in the end, Wilson agreed.
In 1973, Simpson became the first player to break the 2,000 yard rushing mark during the last game of the season against the New York Jets. That year, he won the NFL MVP Award.
CBS
Simpson had the best game of his career in 1976 against the Detroit Lions, rushing for a then-record of 273 yards on 29 attempts and scored two touchdowns.
NFL Films
In 1977, Simpson met Nicole Brown. He was still married to Whitley but began dating Brown, and Simpson and Whitley divorced in March 1979.
In 1977, Simpson starred in his first commercial for Hertz, in which he ran through airports looking for the quickest way to rent a car. He would remain their spokesperson till the beginning of his murder trial.
Before the 1978 season, Simpson was traded to his hometown San Francisco 49ers, where he played for two seasons. He retired from football in 1979.
YouTube
Even before retiring from the NFL, Simpson had parts in motion pictures like "The Klansman," "The Cassandra Crossing," "Back to the Beach" and "The Naked Gun" trilogy. In 1979, he started his own film production company titled Orenthal Productions. Besides his acting, he was a commentator for "Monday Night Football" and "The NFL on NBC."
YouTube
Brown and Simpson were married in 1985. They had two children and the marriage lasted seven years before Brown filed for divorce in 1992 citing irreconcilable differences. A year later, they tried to reconcile.
In 1988, Simpson played Det. Nordberg in "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" alongside Leslie Nielsen. He reprised the role two more times.
In 1994, Brown and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Brown's home in Brentwood. Simpson became a person of interest in the murder and after he failed to turn himself in, he became involved in a low-speed car chase in a white Ford Bronco SUV. TV stations interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA finals to broadcast live. It became one of the most widely publicized events in American history.
What became known as the Trial of the Century concluded on Oct. 3, 1995, when Simpson was found "not guilty" for the two murders. The crime remains unsolved.
Following his acquittal, Goldman's family filed a civil lawsuit against Simpson. A civil jury found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Goldman, and battery against Brown. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.
In 2006, Simpson starred in his own improv, hidden-camera TV prank show titled "Juiced." It aired as a one-time special on PPV TV and was later released on DVD.
In Demand
Simpson was involved in legal troubles after this, but in 2008, the former football star was sentenced to nine to 33 years for armed robbery and kidnapping following a scheme to break into a room at the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas to steal sports memorabilia.
In 2012, a Nevada judge agreed to "reopen the armed robbery and kidnapping case against O.J. Simpson to determine if the former football star was so badly represented by his lawyers that he should be freed from prison and get another trial."
Getty Images
In 2013, Simpson was granted parole on some of the armed robbery convictions in 2013, but still had to serve at least four more years due to assault with a deadly weapon charges and other weapon-related charges.
Getty Images
After Simpson promised not to violate parole and said he had led a "a conflict-free" life, the Nevada parole board granted parole Thursday to Simpson, now 70. He will go free in October, and was warned not to violate strict terms of his release.
Getty Images

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Disgraced athlete and actor begins his next chapter in October

Thanks to Nevada's parole board, OJ Simpson will be a free man in October.

From USC football star to playing in the NFL, from appearing in a Hertz commercial to starring in "The Naked Gun," and from being a murder suspect to getting acquitted, TheWrap takes a look at O.J. Simpson's bizarre life.

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'A Conflict-Free Life'?: OJ Simpson's Journey From Football Star to Prisoner to Free Man (Photos)

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