OJ Simpson says he will live off his $25,000-a-month pension

Jet, July 28, 1997

Though O.J. Simpson's California home was sold at an auction, the former football star and actor says "life goes on," and he is prepared to provide for his children with his pension.

Simpson's Brentwood, CA, estate was recently sold for $2.63 million to the bank, Hawthorne Savings, that foreclosed on it.

Only two outsiders actually bid, but the winner was the bank that put the property on the auction block.

Simpson told CNN's Greta Van Susteren before the auction of his home, "Life goes on, and I believe that in some areas, the move will be good because I'll leave some memories. Some memories I'll always have, but I've had nights that I've walked around and gotten sort of melancholy and got teary-eyed in thinking about things that Nicole and I did.....So, you know, there's a sadness to it. But the reality is it's gone, it's a material thing, and you know, they come and go."

Simpson still collects $25,000 a month from a pension plan. "I told people long before the civil trial began that I was broke, I mean, for any real--what they were looking for, a substantial amount of money."

He explained, "I do have a pension fund. I hope to be able to raise my kids on that pension fund, and I don't feel any real stress because...I like having money, but I was just as happy before I attained money."

Simpson also told CNN, "I don't have money. The money I do have is coming in from my pension." He said, "I've spoken to kids my whole life and said, `Plan for your future.' Well, I did that. I put a pension fund--I took money, I put it aside so that I could raise these kids. They're talking about all of this stuff and I hear America, time and time again saying, `Oh, poor kids.' Well, what do you want? Do you want these poor kids and me to go live in the projects right now?"

Simpson continued, "I have enough money to support them. Unfortunately, I have to protect them more than the average person has to protect their kids, and I've got maybe enough money to do all of that sufficiently. Outside of that, I don't have any money."

Simpson declared, however, that he refuses to work: "I am not going to go and work and give my money to Fred Goldman. I'm not going to do that."

Although Simpson was acquitted in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, he was found liable for the killings in a wrongful death civil trial that ended earlier this year. The Goldman family, including Ronald Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, and Brown's family filed the wrongful death suit against Simpson.

The 6,200-square foot home in Los Angeles' wealthy Brentwood section has six baths, a tennis court, waterfalls and an Olympic--size swimming pool. Simpson lived there for more than 20 years.

The selling price of the home was at least a half million dollars below market value, said real estate agent Elaine Young, who sold Simpson the home years ago.

Looking ahead, Simpson said, I'm going to live with what I've got to live with, and I'm going to make the most of it, and I'm going to do the best that I can to make my kids happy and healthy and feel secure, as I can." Simpson said. "I'm going to try to do the best that I can to be that way."