With the benefit of hindsight, CBS would probably want a do-over.
During the third quarter of Sunday’s divisional playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, CBS panned to a fan in the Buffalo crowd wearing a No. 32 Bills jersey. While that might not have seemed like much to casual fans, NFL enthusiasts are well aware that jersey belongs to the notorious OJ Simpson, who played for the Bills from 1969 to 1977 (including his MVP campaign in 1973).
The fan’s jersey choice did not escape the watchful eye of Twitter. Check out a sampling of the reaction.
Quite the jersey choice by this guy today pic.twitter.com/l3XiB8lqNd
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 22, 2023
CBS just cut to a Bills fan in the stands wearing an OJ Simpson jersey.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) January 22, 2023
I see you, guy wearing the No. 32 OJ Simpson jersey to this game.
— Frank Schwab (@YahooSchwab) January 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/wantedashington/status/1617278946470494208
Interestingly enough, Simpson himself posted a video message in support of the Bills on Sunday. He was also wearing a No. 32 jersey but a custom-made one with “YoursTruly” written on the back. It (predictably) appears that the NFL is no longer selling any No. 32 Simpson jerseys.
Today’s the day! Let’s go @BuffaloBills Let’s go @49ers pic.twitter.com/1Sz9hIzL2Y
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) January 22, 2023
In the end, neither the fan’s jersey nor Simpson’s video message proved to be good luck for the Bills. They lost handily to the Bengals by a 27-10 final, ending their season in the divisional round for the second straight season. But at least that Buffalo fan’s choice of attire was not quite as controversial as the one that we saw in the College Football Playoff this year.
