O. J. just won't go away. O. J. Simpson is now ready to take a lie detector test about the murders of his ex-wife and her friend, if someone will put up $3 million to help catch their murderer. But even if he passes it, he doubts if anyone will take much notice.
Mr F. Lee Bailey, one of the team of lawyers who helped to get O. J. off the murder charges in the notorious trial in 1995, has said on the TV show, Larry King Live, that if Simpson passes the test, the money will go into a trust fund. This would provide a reward for anyone who could provide information to identify who stabbed Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
"If he flunks the test, the letter of credit is dissolved," Mr Bailey said. The money would be returned. The results of the test would be made public either way.
Mr Fred Goldman, father of Ronald, is not impressed. He told Larry King after the interview with Mr Bailey: "Give me a break. There is no way this guy, this murdering . . . client of his, is ever going to pass a lie detector test.
"F. Lee Bailey on the life form chart is one step above his double murdering client, the killer. He is about the most arrogant individual I think I've heard in a long time."
Simpson still owes families of the victims about $30 million after he was found liable for their wrongful deaths in a civil action in 1997. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million. Since then many of his personal trophies have been sold off and his house demolished but much of his personal fortune, tied up in a pension fund from his football career, could not be touched.
The offer from Mr Bailey comes after he had to "amend" a statement he made last week that Simpson had started to take a lie detector test years ago but he (Mr Bailey) had stopped it because it was not going well.
Last Monday, Mr Bailey said he stopped the test because of Simpson's emotional state.
As part of this arrangement, the party putting up the $3 million reward would pick one examiner for the test, Simpson would pick another and both examiners would agree on a third to run the test.
Simpson has said that he and Mr Bailey are on good terms and that he had been trying to arrange for a test, perhaps in a pay-per-view TV format. Simpson said he was willing to take a test but he was convinced no one would pay attention if he passed.
Further controversy over Simpson has been aroused by the news that his trial may be turned into a mini-series on television with a script by Norman Mailer.