O.J. Simpson is now a free man. A side effect of his prison release is his merchandise has seemingly become more coveted. So much so, in fact, Steiner Sports is selling autographed Simpson helmets for more than $400 a pop.
Steiner’s selling a signed Bills replica helmet with Simpon’s signature and another one featuring a hall of fame inscription. As TMZ notes, O.J. didn’t directly contribute the helmets himself, as they were acquired via a third party. Here are Steiner’s comments on the helmet to TMZ.
“Collectors collect and O.J. Simpson is a part of sports history for his accomplishments on the field. He’s a Heisman Trophy winner, 10,000+ yard rusher and Hall of Famer. We are just trying to answer the demand of our customers looking to complete their collections.”
Simpson can probably pull some decent money from selling signed helmets, but, it’s important to remember he’d pocket none of the cash since he still owes the Goldman family millions of dollars from a lost civil suit in 1995.
Despite Simpson’s illustrious career, the concept of owning any memorabilia from the controversial figure is, to me, icky. Simpson’s sullied his own name. If you think his name is still worth $400, by all means, buy the helmet. But, as the great Randy Jackson once said, ‘yeah that’s gonna be a no from me dawg.’
[TMZ]
