O.J. will be going away

But this time around, it is shame on him.

Last week, a jury in Las Vegas found O.J. Simpson guilty on 12 criminal charges stemming from an armed robbery in a casino hotel. Reports say Simpson has been feeling rather "melancholy" about the conviction.

Much of the rest of the nation has felt quiet satisfaction. At last a reckless moment in the train wreck on Simpson's life had caught up with him. What went around, came around.

For many people, this conviction was really not about seeing Simpson get his just deserts for a memorabilia heist. It was about seeing him finally pay for that "other" crime — the one where he dodged a bullet in court after standing trial for the stabbing death of his wife and her friend Ron Goldman.

Observers say the memorabilia case was a slam dunk. Witnesses were well-prepped, taped conversations were used and the forensic evidence was solid.

Would that Simpson's last criminal trial had been so air tight.

Still, one does get an impression that Simpson would like to come clean about it all. His ill-fated and never published book "If I Did It" appeared to be the work of a man with something on his conscience. Simpson not only needs the spotlight, he needs to be understood. And as remote as it seems, he probably longs for some sort of redemption. Chances are, now behind bars, he may well give in to his impulse to "tell it all."

If he does, however, the collateral damage will continue. For one thing, the legacy of lawyer Johnnie Cochran would undoubtedly be tainted for his role in hijacking the jury and freeing a killer. The reputations of the other attorneys who helped Simpson skate on a murder charge would sink a notch or two lower, as well. Already, Robert Shapiro, a Simpson attorney in the murder case, is a persona non grata at many public events.

Truth was the victim in the first trial. Now maybe the villain in that crime can be outed.

If Simpson gets feeling "melancholy" enough to set the record straight, if nothing else it would provide an important lesson. This lesson: When you take a "win at all costs" approach — as Simpson and his lawyers did at his murder trial — you may indeed win. But the "cost" is often your integrity, reputation, legacy and even your soul.

The truth will out, as they say.

And Aristotle's maxim, "Justice is to give to every man his own," will have finally played out.

Recent comments

Add your comment