Nicole Brown Simpson’s Sister Calls on NFL to Retire O.J. Simpson’s Jersey Number Ahead of 32nd Murder Anniversary
More than 30 years after the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Nicole’s sister Tanya Brown is urging the NFL to retire No. 32 across the league in their memory. In comments to TMZ ahead of the June 12 anniversary of the killings, Brown said the number remains deeply painful because it was worn by O.J. Simpson during his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.
Brown argued that while jersey numbers are usually retired to honor a player’s athletic achievements, No. 32 should instead be permanently removed because of the trauma tied to Simpson’s legacy off the field. She said seeing the number still triggers painful memories and brings her back to the murders of her sister and Goldman. Brown wants the focus shifted away from celebrating Simpson’s football accomplishments and toward honoring the victims.
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Nicole’s Los Angeles home in 1994, a case that shocked the nation and became one of the most closely watched criminal trials in U.S. history. Simpson was acquitted in the 1995 criminal trial but was later found liable for the deaths in civil court. He died in 2024 after years of legal and personal troubles.
Tanya Brown has long spoken publicly about the impact of the case on her family and has used her platform to promote domestic violence awareness and victim advocacy. Her latest appeal reflects her continued effort to keep attention on Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman rather than on the man whose football career made No. 32 famous.
Whether the NFL would ever take such a step is uncertain, but Brown’s message is clear: she wants the number that once symbolized O.J. Simpson’s greatness on the field to become a lasting tribute to the victims instead.
