Pastor OJ? Simpson Plans to Become Televangelist After Prison Release
O.J. Simpson has found God, according to his manager Norman Pardo. He is now planning to become a televangelist after he is released from prison.
“O.J. is very religious now, and he’s been counseling other inmates with Bible studies for months,” Pardo told The Enquirer. “When I talk to him on the phone, all he wants to discuss is religion. He’s obsessed!”
The disgraced former NFL player has spent five years at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. The 66-year-old is serving a sentence from a 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction.
Simpson has reportedly spent his time in prison mending his ways and relationship with God, and he now wants to share his peace in a worldwide crusade dubbed “Holy Safari.”
But one unnamed source is skeptical of Simpson’s motives.
“O.J. will tell you that he wants to bring people together, but that’s BS as far as I’m concerned,” the insider told The Enquirer. “There’s a lot of people sending bucket-loads of money to these TV preachers, and O.J.’s just looking to rake in millions from poor, unsuspecting Christians.
“It’s a dangerous idea to think of Simpson as a self-styled prophet who can reach people all over the world.”
The report says Simpson has been inspired by TV evangelist Frederick Price, whose Ever Increasing Faith Ministries broadcasts reach more than 15 million people very week.
“If he can do it, so can I,” Simpson said, according to a source.
Though Simpson is not eligible for parole until 2017, he has petitioned the court for a new trial. His people say they’ve gotten word the judge will rule in Simpson’s favor and let him out on bail. A source told The Enquirer he expects to be out by Christmas.
In the meantime, Pardo says he’s negotiating with religious TV networks to carry Simpson’s crusade. The “Holy Safari” poster they’ve designed features Simpson dressed in white with his arms outstretched. A large shining cross is in the center of the image.
Saylors Brothers Entertainment is working with Simpson and Pardo on a documentary about his life, based on taped interviews.
“O.J. has rediscovered his faith and we’re interested in working with him,” Kenny Saylors, the documentary’s director, said. “We’ve come to the conclusion that prison has actually set him free.”
Simpson reportedly believes he’ll be welcomed into homes, despite the fact that many Americans still believe he murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman—crimes he was acquitted of in 1995.
