I swear I’m not trying to dig up an old news story. No, really. Former footballer and occasional film actor, O.J. Simpson, was ordered by the Los Angeles Superior Court to pay all the money he earned from his likeness being uses in All-Pro Football 2K8 to the family of the late Ronald Goldman.
The order was to satisfy part of the judgment for wrongful death passed on Simpson back in 1997, with 33.5 million to be paid by Simpson. The amount of the money Simpson was paid by by Take-Two Interactive Software, makers of the game, was not indicated.
The game includes images of 240 former pro football players including Simpson. It also features a knife-wielding mascot for a fictional team named Assassins which does not include Simpson unless gamers add him to the team (though every article seems to dedicate a good portion to this point).
Part of me believes the game to be a parody of a public figure, so Simpson should not have been paid anything. Part of me is proud of Take-Two for paying Simpson for his likeness no matter how it may have been used. Most of me is simply tired of hearing about the Simpson case altogether.
Thanks for the post