Today’s news that the Bills are retiring the number of Hall of Famer Bruce Smith was followed by word that the Bills will retire the number worn by the second-best running back in franchise history. But not that of the best running back in franchise history.
Thurman Thomas, the Hall of Fame running back who played on the four consecutive Super Bowl teams along with Smith and Jim Kelly, is expected to get his No. 34 in the rafters along with Smith’s and Kelly’s next season, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. That’s a well-deserved honor for Thomas, one of the most versatile running backs ever to play the game.
But there’s also the awkward issue of the No. 32, which was worn in Buffalo by O.J. Simpson. On the field, Simpson was an even greater runner than Thomas, and the greatest Bill of them all. But Simpson, who was the most famous murder defendant in American history and is now in prison for armed robbery, will not have his number retired.
Simpson’s No. 32 hasn’t been worn in Buffalo since he left in 1978, and it may never be worn again by any Bills player. But it also won’t be retired, as the team would rather honor the likes of Thomas, Kelly and Smith, while doing what they can to ignore Simpson’s legacy.
