OJ Simpson was granted parole on Thursday and is expected to be released from prison in October. Until then, he will no longer be spending his days with the general population at Lovelock Correctional Center.
Brooke Keast, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections, said Friday that Simpson has been moved to a new cell away from any other inmates in case anyone wants to make a name for himself by harming the former NFL star.
“His parole could make him a target here,” Keast said, according to CNN. “He just has 2 1/2 months to go, and we don’t want someone trying to make a name for themselves thinking, ‘I’m going to go punch O.J. Simpson in the face.'”
Tom Scotto, a close friend of Simpson’s who has visited the Hall of Famer several times while he’s been behind bars, said O.J. is not going to like being in protective custody.
“O.J. isn’t going to like this, because he loves being out there and talking to everybody,” Scotto said.
But Simpson doesn’t have a choice, and Keast said the correctional facility is not willing to take any risks now that Simpson has been kept safe for this long.
“We just don’t want anyone trying to make a name for themselves,” she said. “We’ve been able to protect him for nine years.”
Inmates who saw the attention a parole board member received just for wearing a certain necktie might be getting the wrong idea. Playing it safe during the final months makes sense.
