Yankees' Minor League Team Cancels 'OJ Trial Night' After Backlash

The Charleston RiverDogs, the Yankees' Single A affiliate, canceled its 'OJ Trial Night' after receiving backlash over the promotion.

Richard Mackson/Sports Illustrated

A Yankees minor league team has canceled its O.J. Simpson promotion night after receiving backlash over the event.

The Charleston RiverDogs, the Yankees' Single-A affiliate, released its 2020 promotional calendar on Monday. The schedule included an "OJ Trial Night" on May 26, which was set to offer a "juicy new spin" on the murder trial that happened 25 years ago.

"The trial of the century gets a juicy new spin. We will finally receive the verdict that everyone has been waiting for … pulp or no pulp? Fans will act as our jury, voting with custom paddles to reach verdicts on various topics throughout the night," Charleston's promotional release said. "The eyes of the nation will be upon us. Fans will receive an 'OJ Trial' shirt upon entering the stadium. If the shirt don't fit, you must … see if we have a different size."

RiverDogs president Dave Echols told The Charleston Post and Courier that the team pulled the promotion from the schedule. 

"After taking a step back and having further reflection on the overall message that was being conveyed, it was the responsible thing to do," Echols said.

In October 1995, Simpson was acquitted of murder charges for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. The victims' families later won a civil suit they filed against the NFL Hall of Famer.