The family of Nicole Brown Simpson is speaking out following the news that Ford Motor Vehicles was planning to launch its new Bronco on O.J. Simpson‘s birthday. The company has since postponed the date.
Last week the auto company announced via a tweet that it would be giving its first glimpse of the new Ford Bronco on July 9, which just happens to be the same day as Simpson’s 73rd birthday.
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In 1994, the white Bronco became infamous after the athlete used the vehicle to lead cops on a televised car chase down an LA highway after the murders of Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman of which he was suspected of committing. He went on trial for their deaths and was acquitted in 1995.
In response to the news 26 years after the brutal homicides, Brown-Simpson’s heartbroken sister Tanya Brown spoke to the Detroit Free Press to share her dismay and disgust about the timing of the release.
“Is that on purpose? My first reaction was, “are you kidding me? This is funny?”,” she said. “I just don’t know if it’s a good marketing twist.”
READ MORE: OJ Simpson Interview: 25 years after notorious murders and trial of the century
Ford debuts the brand new Ford Bronco on July 9th. July 9th is also OJ Simpson’s bday. Ford claims they had no idea. Cmon son. pic.twitter.com/o31sA267N8
— BigRobEnergy ⚡️ (@BigRobEnergy) June 18, 2020
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Adding insult to injury is the fact that last week also marked the 26th anniversary of the murders. This Wednesday will be the anniversary of the infamous car chase, two traumatizing moments in the public consciousness that Brown said still cause her heartache as if they’d just recently taken place.
“We have moved on but you don’t forget,” she admitted. “You learn to live without that person. It gets easier with time.”
Meanwhile, Ford maintains that the timing of their reveal is just an unfortunate coincidence.
“We’re going to reveal Bronco just like we said we would on July 9,” Mike Levine, Ford North America product communications manager, told the Free Press, adding that Simpson’s birthday is ‘purely coincidental.”
However, following the controversy Ford has had a change of heart, announcing Friday, “The reveal of the all-new Ford Bronco lineup will now happen on Monday, July 13,” Ford spokesman Mark Truby said on Twitter Friday.
“The previous targeted date of July 9 unintentionally coincided with O.J. Simpson’s birthday. We wanted to be sensitive and respectful of this concern.”
https://twitter.com/Ford/status/1274013796999315456?s=20
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