An Evening with O.J. Simpson: Jim Lampley Recounts a Bizarre Encounter Before the Tragedy
The night of January 30, 1994, was concluding at the Ritz Carlton hotel bar in Atlanta’s upscale Buckhead area when O.J. Simpson became eager to extend the festivities.
The celebrated former Buffalo Bills player, then working as an NFL sideline reporter, had spent the evening covering Super Bowl XXVIII. The Dallas Cowboys had defeated Buffalo at the newly built Georgia Dome.
As the after-party crowd thinned and Hollywood celebrities, including Kevin Costner, departed, Simpson and his remaining companions sought a new destination. Nicole Brown, Simpson’s former wife and the mother of two of his children, suggested they find a dance club.
The couple had divorced 18 months prior. In just six months, Simpson would be accused of the violent murders of the 35-year-old Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman outside her Los Angeles condominium. However, in early 1994, Simpson and Brown were reportedly considering reconciliation and, with friends, began searching for an Atlanta nightclub.
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Simpson, due to his Hertz endorsement, always had access to a car. His former teammate, Bob Chandler, and his Los Angeles neighbors, Ron and Cora Fischman, joined Simpson in the sedan. Cora Fischman later testified at Simpson’s 1997 civil trial. Simpson drove from the front bench seat, which also accommodated Brown and NBC Sports host Jim Lampley, whom Simpson often called ‘Lamp.’
“You know, Lamp, when we find this dance club, I want to see you and Nicole dance,” Simpson told Lampley, as the veteran announcer recently recalled at a Manhattan restaurant. “I’ve always imagined how good that would look. I think you two are a natural pairing. I want to see you and Nicole dance tonight.”
(From left) ABC Sports’ Don Meredith, Jim Lampley, Frank Gifford and O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City
Lampley, now 75, remembers the awkwardness and embarrassment of Simpson’s unusual request.
Then 44, Lampley was still married to his first wife, but Simpson’s reputation for excess was the immediate concern.
“Now, I had already heard some crazy stuff, Hollywood stuff,” Lampley recounted. “I didn’t know what to think about it… but now O.J.’s sitting here talking about how he wants me to dance with Nicole.”
Lampley then recognized an opportunity for escape, much like Simpson famously did on the football field.
“I began thinking,” Lampley said, recalling his internal monologue, “‘We’re still in the Bible Belt. It is Sunday night. Yeah, it’s getting pretty close to midnight. I think there’s a chance that we may not find a dance club.'”
Fortunately for Lampley that evening, the group never located a dance club, averting the discomfort he dreaded.
The others in the car faced considerably harsher fates. Within a year, Brown was murdered, Simpson stood trial, the Fischmans were called to testify, and Chandler succumbed to cancer.
That night was the last time Lampley saw Simpson until well after Simpson’s controversial 1995 acquittal – a verdict the announcer now vehemently disagrees with.
As Lampley details in his forthcoming autobiography, It Happened! A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television, Simpson’s infamous slow-speed chase through Los Angeles freeways fundamentally shifted his perspective. Lampley hadn’t considered Simpson’s guilt until witnessing the LAPD pursuit of Al Cowlings’ white Ford Bronco, where Simpson threatened suicide.
Simpson alongside former USC and Bills teammate, Bob Chandler, reportedly present that night in Atlanta in 1994 when Simpson made the unusual request to Lampley
Lampley’s autobiography, ‘It Happened!’, is scheduled for release on April 15. The renowned announcer recently spoke with [News Outlet Name – if available and relevant, otherwise remove] at a Manhattan restaurant (right)
Lampley realized O.J. Simpson’s guilt during the infamous Bronco chase
Early Friendship and Fading Perceptions
Two decades prior, Lampley felt starstruck during his initial meeting with Simpson at the 1974 Superstars competition in Rotunda, Florida. This event featured athletes from various sports.
Simpson, who would win the event the following year, was already a major American celebrity after his record-breaking 2,000-yard rushing season with Buffalo.
“That night, I vividly recall lying in bed, buzzing, and thinking: ‘I am friends with O.J. Simpson’,” Lampley stated. “I mean, in 1974 he’s coming off a 2,000-yard rushing season. He’s culturally massive. And I’m friends with him.”
Their bond strengthened as younger announcers for ABC’s coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
“We ended up socializing in Montreal,” Lampley recounted. “We went out to dinner, drinks, dancing, and so on.”
Years later, Lampley relocated to Los Angeles to work for KCBS-TV, while continuing his ‘NFL on NBC’ hosting duties in New York City on Sundays. This often involved spending weekdays with Simpson in Los Angeles before flying to NBC Sports studios for weekend NFL coverage.
“I’m flying to New York every Saturday with O.J., and returning after the show on Sunday,” Lampley said. “Once again, through work, I’m friends with O.J. and spending considerable time with him. And that naturally leads to social time with O.J. and Nicole.”
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown at a San Francisco International Film Festival screening and afterparty at the St. Francis Hotel
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson (1959-1994) with children Jason Simpson, Sydney, and Justin at the ‘Naked Gun 33 1/3’ premiere
The Weight of Accusation and a Chilling Realization
Months passed after Simpson’s uncomfortable request in Atlanta.
During this period, Lampley covered significant sporting events, including Michael Moorer’s upset victory over heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. By June, he was filming an infomercial for the Riviera Country Club.
“I’m on the practice tee at Riviera Country Club shooting a stupid infomercial for a windfall of money that I never should have fallen prey to,” Lampley recalled, with his wife Debra smiling knowingly.
“A makeup artist there on the practice tee says: ‘Hey, did you hear about Nicole Simpson?… She was murdered last night.'”
Lampley panicked, frantically seeking information before flying to London to cover Wimbledon. Despite various possibilities crossing his mind, Simpson murdering Brown was not among them.
When reporters from The New York Times and USA Today contacted him, Lampley confidently vouched for Simpson’s innocence, stating, “not our guy.” Both newspapers prominently featured his quotes.
Lampley hadn’t yet regretted his press statements upon arriving in London. However, clarity struck after Wimbledon rehearsals on Friday, June 17.
“I went back to the Athenaeum Hotel, turned on CNN, saw the Bronco chase, and sat on the sofa, feeling completely deflated, realizing the absurdity of my public statements,” Lampley continued, his voice trembling.
“There is only one reason O.J. is in the back of the Bronco with Al Cowlings driving down the 405,” Lampley conceded. “That’s utterly obvious. And as it went on, I was devastated.”
Ronald Goldman, murdered with Nicole Brown Simpson on June 12, 1994
Fred and Kim Goldman, father and sister of Ronald Goldman, in June 1994
Simpson maintained his innocence, even threatening suicide. He eventually surrendered and stood trial, where he was acquitted on October 3, 1995, amidst widespread criticism of the LAPD and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
By then, Lampley was convinced of Simpson’s guilt, believing justice was denied to the Brown and Goldman families.
A Verdict and Nicholson’s Insight
Compelled, Lampley went to Lakeside Country Club, seeking out Jack Nicholson, known to have closely followed the trial.
“Where’s Jack?” Lampley asked the staff.
Nicholson, then 58 and in his prime, often watched Lakers games or golfed in Los Angeles. Regardless of his schedule, Nicholson watched courtroom recordings from the trial daily.
“I got a cart, went to the seventh green, and watched Jack Nicholson sink an eight-foot putt,” Lampley said.
Nicholson asked, “Lamp, what are you doing?” Lampley informed him of the jury’s verdict after only four hours of deliberation.
“Not guilty,” Nicholson immediately guessed.
O.J. Simpson (R) consults with friend Robert Kardashian (C) and Alvin Michelson (L), Kardashian’s attorney, during a 1994 hearing in Los Angeles
When questioned about his certainty, Nicholson succinctly explained:
“Nine black jurors, no witness, no murder weapon,” Nicholson responded, according to Lampley. “They’ve been sequestered for 11 months. They wanted lunch.”
Lampley realized Nicholson’s accuracy and the trial’s realities had always favored Simpson, seemingly allowing him to “get off.”
However, to Lampley’s surprise, Nicholson contradicted him.
“What you just said is the opposite of what happened,” Lampley recalled Nicholson saying. “He didn’t ‘get off.’ This is the worst outcome for him.”
Nicholson understood the not-guilty verdict would haunt Simpson, leading to his exile from public life.
Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in civil court, and his life deteriorated. He received a 16-year prison sentence in Nevada for armed robbery in 2008 and, despite early release in 2017, lived only seven more years before dying from cancer.
Lampley now acknowledges Nicholson’s prescience about the verdict’s impact on Simpson.
“Everything from [the verdict] to his death validated Jack’s words,” Lampley explained. “That’s an innate understanding of public persona.”
Jim Lampley and wife Debra at Smile Design Gallery’s ‘The Art of Boxing’ in 2016
(From left to right) HBO Sports’ Larry Merchant, Lennox Lewis and Jim Lampley
Nuance Amidst Judgment
Not everyone possessed such insight at the time.
Lampley briefly deceived himself into thinking Simpson innocent, while Al Michaels took even longer to reach a different conclusion. Friends like Don Ohlmeyer, Robert Kardashian, and Al Cowlings attended Simpson’s acquittal party at his Brentwood estate.
It would be easy for Lampley to judge Ohlmeyer and Kardashian, both deceased, or Cowlings. Instead, Lampley offers a story that humanizes those around Simpson.
“Wimbledon ends, and due to my then-wife, I had to return to Los Angeles via Minnesota to visit her family,” Lampley recounted.
The Lampley family eventually flew home on July 4, 1994, encountering the trial’s pervasive presence en route.
“Tommy James of Tommy James & the Shondells – ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’ fame – questioned me about O.J. on the plane,” Lampley recalled. “Many others discussed O.J. The next morning was the first day of pre-trial hearings, with Kato Kaelin testifying.”
“I was on edge. My friend was facing a murder trial starting tomorrow, and it would be televised,” he added.
Lampley, by then, believed in Simpson’s guilt, yet remained connected to the defendant in unexpected ways.
“To grasp O.J.’s appeal, why people like Don Ohlmeyer maintained his innocence, you had to know O.J.,” Lampley explained.
“Among Hollywood friends, he was exceptionally thoughtful, considerate, and generous. Birthdays or anniversaries in your family invariably meant a Miss Grace’s lemon cake and Honey Baked ham – O.J. invested in both companies – delivered on that date.”
O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown at “Come Blow Your Horn” in 1981. They married in 1985 and divorced in 1992
Beyond gifts, Simpson offered Lampley lodging in New York and surprised guests with sentimental musical tastes.
“He would play Celine Dion,” Lampley said, quoting Simpson: “This is me and Nicole’s song. This is about us. This is our relationship.”
Returning to 1994, Lampley described his family’s return to their Los Angeles home, battling colds.
“We all went to bed upon arrival, I woke at 4:30 or 5 AM, starved. Didn’t eat on the plane. Hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning in Minneapolis,” Lampley stated.
“Twenty-four hours later, after three weeks away, I wondered what food would be home.”
Lampley’s tone shifted somber.
“I went to the refrigerator,” he continued. “Miss Grace’s lemon cake.”
“I still couldn’t stop the tears,” Lampley recalled, again emotional. “I sat down, cried, because nothing could have symbolized my journey more painfully.”
Simpson at a parole hearing at Lovelock Correctional Center July 20, 2017 in Nevada
Final Encounters and Lasting Certainty
During his tenure as HBO Sports’ boxing voice, Lampley encountered Simpson twice more.
The first was at an Oscar De La Hoya post-fight party in Las Vegas, where Lampley admitted to avoiding Simpson.
“I felt guilty for weeks,” Lampley said. “How could I do that?”
Lampley resolved to speak to Simpson if they met again.
“Even if to say I loved him,” Lampley started, then hesitated.
“[Simpson] came to a Roy Jones fight in Atlanta. I sat across the ring from him,” Lampley continued, his voice steady again.
“We nodded. We acknowledged each other. By evening’s end, I thought, ‘I’m done. I don’t need to.’ Because it’s become increasingly clear that he murdered Nicole.”
Lampley, former voice of ABC’s Wide World of Sports and HBO Boxing, is now an analyst and commentator for PPV.com. His autobiography, ‘It Happened!’, is released on April 15. Lampley, soon 76, will cover a triple-header in Times Square on May 2, featuring Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, and Teofimo Lopez.