Sports
Sports

USC coach says O.J. Simpson is not welcome

O.J. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy when he played college football at Southern Cal.  (Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP, Pool, File)

Credit: Jason Bean

Credit: Jason Bean

O.J. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy when he played college football at Southern Cal.  (Jason Bean/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP, Pool, File)
By Mike Luck
July 28, 2017

O.J. Simpson will be free when he is released from prison in October.

But one place he won’t be able to go is his alma mater.

Fans react to O.J. Simpson parole board hearing

At Pac-12 media days in Los Angeles, USC football coach Clay Helton said the former Heisman Trophy winner is still not welcome on campus.

"Right now with USC, what the administration and the athletic department have said is, no, O.J. will not be a part of our functions," Helton said when asked if Simpson would be welcome to attend a practice. "That's been the statement."

USC, however, still has his No. 32 jersey prominently displayed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, ESPN reported.

Simpson, 70, was granted parole July 20. He has been in prison since 2007, when he was arrested for a Las Vegas robbery involving sports memorabilia.

About the Author

Mike Luck is an Audience Specialist on the sports team at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has worked at the AJC since 1980.

More Stories

Keep Reading

Ava Merrill of Johns Creek shot a record 15-under 201 to win the 96th Georgia Women's Amateur Championship at Dunwoody Country Club, July 2. (Courtesy of Kate Awtrey-King)

Credit: Kate Awtrey-King

Merrill wins Georgia Women’s Am with record score

In addition to having her name engraved on the Eleanor M. Keeler Trophy, Merrill receives an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes.

Jermaine Dupri, Big Boi, Kandi Burruss to join All-Star celebrity softball game

Expect plenty of Atlanta flair when MLB’s All-Star Celebrity Softball Game hits Truist Park on July 12.

Dream’s Allisha Gray named starter for WNBA All-Star Game

Dream guard Allisha Gray was named a WNBA All-Star starter for the first time, becoming the first Atlanta player to earn the honor since 2018.

The Latest

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. (13) reacts after scoring on a double by Marcell Ozuna during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, June 21, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alexandra Rodriguez)

Credit: AP

Atlanta TV sports listings

Sports Daily: Where do the Braves go from here?

Merrill wins Georgia Women’s Am with record score

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS

Amid UPS struggles, shipper makes first-ever plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

Kneeling man impaled by giant straw? Towering mural leaves public mystified.

A towering mural on the side of the Connally Hotel has mystified Atlanta since 2011. Who is the kneeling man, and what's piercing him? Is it a beam of light? A drinking straw?

OPINION

I just graduated college. Will I be able to buy a house like my parents did?

A recent college grad asks: Am I going to be able to buy a home like my parents did less than 30 years ago?