O.J. Simpson is set for a parole hearing on Thursday and ESPN will be airing a 90-minute special to cover the highly-anticipated event.
The former football star was found guilty in 2008 for armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges resulting from an incident with sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas casino hotel room in 2007. Simpson has already served eight years of his 9- to 33-year sentence, but could be released on parole depending on how his July 20 hearing goes.
ESPN will run a 90-minute special to cover the hearing on “Outside the Lines” at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The special will feature live coverage of the hearing in Carson City, Nevada, with Jeremy Schaap anchoring from ESPN. He will be joined by “OTL” and ABC legal analyst Ryan Smith and The Undefeated’s Jason Reid. Reporters Mark Schwarz will report from Lovelock, Nevada, where Simpson is imprisoned and Shelley Smith will be at the hearing site.
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“The fascination with the life of this former football star, famous actor, and felon–has not waned in half a century,” Vice President and Director of News for ESPN Craig Bengtson said. “We need to see how the final chapters in the story of O.J. Simpson play out.”
Schaap will take a historical look at the notorious football star from the ESPN studio and Hannah Storm will recap the proceedings during a special edition of “SportsCenter” hours after the “OTL” special at 7 p.m..
Simpson is, of course, more infamous for his alleged involvement in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted in the murders in 1995 after just three hours of deliberations.