Simpson Cites Faith, Public Encouragement

O.J. Simpson, in his first public appearance in Washington since his acquittal last fall, told a cheering black audience Wednesday night that his spiritual faith has sustained him as has encouragement from strangers who approach him to wish him well.

“People at airports come up to me to say, ‘You look OK, you seem to be hanging in there,’ ” Simpson said. “That helps a lot.”

Nearly 1,000 people who paid $10 apiece crowded into Scripture Cathedral, an African American church about three miles north of the White House, to hear the football great speak briefly about his life and legal battle and take a few jabs at the press.

But Simpson carefully avoided any substantive remarks about his murder case, noting at the beginning that “I’m somewhat handicapped--I do have a gag order,” referring to a judge’s prohibition against any out-of-court comments about the upcoming civil suit in which he is a defendant.

Simpson told his audience that he had been especially upset by erroneous broadcast reports during his long trial. “Who holds the media responsible?” he asked. “They can say just about anything.”