Smithsonian Doesn't Want OJ's Suit

O.J. Simpson's Suit Not a Fit for Smithsonian

Updated: 5 hours 8 minutes ago

Michelle Ruiz, AOL Contributor

(March 2) -- Abraham Lincoln's top hat, Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves, Dorothy's ruby red slippers ... and O.J. Simpson's acquittal suit? Not so fast, says The Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian said today it will not welcome the beige suit worn by Simpson on the day in 1995 when he was acquitted in the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman.

"The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will not be collecting O.J. Simpson's suit," the museum said in a statement. "The decision was made by the museum's curators together with the director."

The Smithsonian's decision comes a day after California Superior Court Judge Joseph Biderman approved the plan to send Simpson's suit to the Smithsonian, ending a 13-year legal dispute between Goldman's father, Fred, and Simpson's former sports agent, Mike Gilbert, both of whom laid claim to Simpson's duds.

Goldman had already won another expensive suit -- a $33.5-million civil judgment against Simpson in 1997. But saying he hasn't collected a penny of it, Goldman set out to seize Simpson's now-anemic assets, including the potentially pricey beige suit. Unfortunately for Goldman, Gilbert had the suit, not to mention the shirt and tie that completed Simpson's ensemble.

The drawn-out battle ended Monday with both Goldman and Gilbert agreeing to the donation. Simpson even called the judge from prison in Nevada, where he's serving nine to 33 years for armed robbery and kidnapping, to say he approved the donation provided no party made a profit from it.

"The donation to the Smithsonian of the acquittal suit puts front and center the shock to America when justice escaped the Los Angeles courthouse," Goldman said through his attorney, David Cook. "If the suit is emblematic of justice gone berserk, justice is served."

"It's part of American history," Gilbert said outside the courtroom. "People should be able to see it and reflect on what went so wrong for someone who had everything."

The only problem? No one asked the Smithsonian if it wanted the suit. According to Monday's legal agreement, if Simpson's suit was rejected by the Smithsonian, it would be offered "to another museum or institution of higher learning."

It's not the first time the Smithsonian has rejected an American artifact with questionable value. It also passed on Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue dress.

In an opinion article in at the Los Angeles Times Web site, Patt Morrison suggests Simpson's suit and Lewinsky's dress go to a future Hall of Shame -- or simply remain in the closet.

"Rather than waste a minute gazing upon the Simpson suit, I'd sooner spend all day visiting an exhibit on the history of the ZIP Code," Morrison wrote. "Even if it didn't have a gift shop."
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