O.J. Simpson pleaded his case Wednesday for a new trial on armed-robbery charges with testimony that he relied on the advice of his trusted attorney when he tried to reclaim mementos from his football glory days. Simpson said he took the advice of his longtime former lawyer, Yale Galanter, and didn't testify in his Las Vegas trail at which he was convicted in 2008 of armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges and sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison.
"It was my stuff. I followed what I thought was the law," the 65-year-old former NFL star and actor said. "My lawyer told me I couldn't break into a guy's room. I didn't break into anybody's room. I didn't try to muscle the guys. The guys had my stuff, even though they claimed they didn't steal it."
Simpson, who was noticeably bulkier since his incarceration, has seen a fall from long-ago fame and fortune and is much older and grayer since last seen publicly. The Heisman Trophy college running back and pro football Hall of Famer was once one of the most frequently seen athletes in major television endorsements.
As Nevada prison inmate No. 1027820, he's been handcuffed and chained at the ankles during a hearing on his claim that he was poorly represented by his attorney during the trial. His physician, Henry Johnson, watched and said Simpson appeared to be in good health.
H. Leon Simon, attorney for the state, conducted a brief cross-examination that focused on some of the same details Simpson attorney Patricia Palm raised about advice Simpson received from his former trial lawyers.
"Mr. Galanter advised me not to testify," Simpson reiterated. "You made a decision to follow Mr. Galanter's advice, rather than Mr. Grasso's, and not testify?" Simon asked.
"Yes," Simpson responded.
The former football great did acknowledge that he didn't have a legal right to take some things from the Palace Station hotel room where he and five men threatened two sports memorabilia dealers - including baseballs signed by Pete Rose and Duke Snyder as well as football memorabilia signed by Joe Montana.
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