OJ Tossed from Steakhouse on Derby Eve

[chefmike]

bravo!


AP | May 9, 2007 09:15 PM EST

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The owner of an upscale steakhouse in Louisville said he asked O.J. Simpson to leave his restaurant the night before the Kentucky Derby because he is sickened by the attention Simpson still attracts.

"I didn't want to serve him because of my convictions of what he's done to those families," Jeff Ruby said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "The way he continues to torture the lives of those families ... with his behavior, attitude and conduct."

Simpson, an NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner, was found innocent in 1995 of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman but was found liable in a civil trial that followed.

Ruby _ who owns restaurants in Cincinnati, Louisville and Belterra, Ind. _ said Simpson, who was in town for the Derby on Saturday, came in with a group of about 12 Friday night and was seated at a table in the back. A customer came up to Ruby and was "giddy" about seeing Simpson, Ruby said.


"I didn't want that experience in my restaurant," Ruby said, later adding that seeing Simpson get so much attention "makes me sick to my stomach."

He said he went to Simpson's table and said, "I'm not serving you." Ruby said when Simpson didn't respond, he repeated himself and left the room.

Ruby said Simpson soon came up to him and said he understood and would gather the rest of his party to leave.

Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, said the incident was about race, and he intended to pursue the matter and possibly go after the restaurant's liquor license.

"He screwed with the wrong guy, he really did," Galanter said by telephone Tuesday night.

Ruby said the incident had to do with Simpson's past.

"It was the first time since 1994 he has ever shown any class," Ruby said. "He showed it that night in the restaurant" by leaving quietly.

Ruby said after Simpson left, people in the restaurant started applauding him. He said he has received about 100 positive e-mails since the incident.

The walls of Ruby's restaurants are decorated with celebrity photos. A photo of Simpson and Ruby used to be on display, but Ruby said he took it down after the killings.

[Felicia Katt]

Its all about race....thats why Michael Jordan's party took over OJ's table after they were ejected. I heard that today on the radio in an interview of the restaurant owner.

FK

[LG]

If I had a steakhouse, I'd never serve OJ.

Hell no! Beer, red wine or whisky, certainly, and even mineral water, but orange juice? That's an affront to the tastebuds!


Oh sorry...you didn't mean that kind of OJ.

[Felicia Katt]

the real reason: the owner was worried his steak knives would go missing, never to be found

meow

FK

[Mylon]

About race? It sounds like the restaurant owner had a legitimate reason and now OJ is turning around and playing the race card because he can.

I swear, it's like black people have more power than white people do. If anything doesn't go their way, they can play the race card. White people can't even attempt to sue on the basis of discrimination. People would laugh.

[LTR_Seeker]

good glad he got tossed out

[man_in_love]

Wish more people felt the same about him, he gets the hero treatment from tooooooooo many people.

[Quinn]

bravo!


AP | May 9, 2007 09:15 PM EST


Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, said the incident was about race, and he intended to pursue the matter and possibly go after the restaurant's liquor license.

LMAO.... Yeah, it was either that or the whole murdering to people in cold blood thing. Still, better get Al Shaprton on it, just in case.

-Quinn

[suckseed]

About race? Stupidest thing I've heard so far today for sure.

[dskreet2]

I have a differing opinion. I believe it is a bad precedence to not serve a customer because of personal feelings. If you are in the business of serving customers some product and\or service, how can you deny a paying customer. In this country, we function under a system of laws that everyone is equal. He is not an escaped convict. He was not even convicted of a crime. He only lost a civil judgement in a trail that gives the accuser a higher level of justice above the accused.

So, who will be next in the denial of service. All persons who have committed any crime at any time in their life. And after we go down that path, lets deny service to anyone who is a member of the family of a person accused of a crime. And so on, and so on...!

Back to O.J. The reason I heard he was denied service was because of the "attention he attracts". So, if Paris Hilton entered his business for service, he would also deny her service. Now that she has to do time for a crime. Lets not forget the infamous bad sex video that promoted her to icon status with teen & adult admirers. I'm sure he will take the so called moral high ground and deny service to her. Then if former President Clinton (impeached), Courtney Love (name one), Lindsey Lohan (drugs), Amy Fisher (attempted murder) also entered his restaurant, he would deny all of them service. Yea right.

Just my opinion. We all have them. O.k., back to surfing. Too much serious brain activity while I'm on vacation. I must relax, "Woo Saa!!!"