When O.J. Simpson is released from prison Oct. 1, it certainly won't be into a life of squalor. ESPN's Darren Rovell has postulated that Simpson may have made over $600,000 while incarcerated at Lovelock Prison in Nevada. It was estimated that Simpson was worth approximately $10.8 million when he and Nicole Brown Simpson divorced in 1992. That would equate to about $19 million as of May 2017.
Now that Simpson has been paroled, that $600,000 will be his to keep, and cannot go toward the $33.5 million ($40 million when you account for interest) that he owes to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald L. Goldman for a settlement after he was acquitted of Nicole's murder. As Rovell explains, this is due to NFL pensions being protected by state law.
Public player pensions make it relatively easy to speculate on how much Simpson made, with the only questions coming around when he started taking his pension out. The NFLPA won a lawsuit against the NFL in 2011 that got former players additional payments for playing before 1975. Simpson played from 1969 to 1979, garnering him six years at the increased rate. Players that played before 1982 also got additional credit, which got him an additional 11 seasons worth of an increased rate.
If Simpson started taking his pension out at the age of 55 (he is now 70), he would have gotten paid for 105 months. That 105 months would have netted him $423,570. However, if Simpson started taking the pension out at 65, he would have gotten 57 months at an increased rate. With that rate factored in, Simpson would have ended up at $602,205.
Upon his release, the pension will be the only part of his income that is protected. Any memorabilia sales or appearances that he makes will be subject to going toward the settlement. However, the NFL pension ensures that he at least won't be wanting for food in the near future.
