A copy of O.J. Simpson’s Heisman Trophy still sits in Heritage Hall on the campus of the University of Southern California, at least when it isn’t being displayed elsewhere along with the rest of the school’s large collection.
Simpson’s jersey is still retired by USC in recognition of his two remarkable seasons as the Trojans’ tailback, and his No. 32 is prominently displayed at every home football game on the banners that drape the peristyle steps of the venerable Coliseum.
But when Simpson’s death from prostate cancer at 76 in Las Vegas was announced Thursday, his school made no public acknowledgment of it.
The silence — atypical for the Trojans, who have lauded their passing football greats with flowery public statements — is an obvious statement in itself about the complicated relationship with one of the most accomplished athletes in USC history.
Lincoln Riley was born 15 years after Simpson won his Heisman, but the current USC coach was …