Commentary: How Low Will O.J. Go? (Part IV)

Now it's O.J. Simpson turn to explain his motivations for this absurd project. Claiming that he is still innocent and that the book was not a confessional, Simpson stated that the only reason he agreed to do the projects was for "the opportunity for [his] kids to get their financial legacy." He acknowledged that any money he would receive from the projects would be "blood money," but reasoned that these projects are "no different than any of the other writers who did books on this case." It is unclear how much money was paid in advance to Simpson (according to Simpson, it is less than the $3.5 million originally reported), but it has already been spent, partly on tax obligations. News Corp. acknowledged that it would be unable to recover any of that money since Simpson honored the contract by producing the book. The Goldman family has requested that News Corp. turn over its rights to both the cancelled book and the cancelled t.v. show.

Simpson said his book would have been a best seller and prepublication sales of the book show it breaking the top 20 on Amazon.com's bestseller list. Allegedly, copies of the book are being offered on eBay and bids have been as high at $65,000. The online auction house, however, has been removing the book from because of copyright concerns.

The rest of the story can be accessed here. Judith Regan also explains her reasoning for producing both the book and television show in this Newsweek article (I really should talk about this separately but I don't think this matter deserves any more attention than it has already received).