Tomorrow marks the end of the nearly 15 year old criminal saga of the acquitted double-murderer formerly known as O.J. Simpson. When Judge Jackie Glass hands down Simpson’s sentence sometime Friday, it will finally bring closure to those of us who have been awaiting some ‘balance’ upon the scales of justice since 1995. It was then that O.J. shook an “open and shut” conviction faster than a Linebacker desperately trying to pull down the former star Running Back by a shoestring. But on Friday, “The Juice” will exchange his jersey for a jumpsuit and his name for a prisoner ID number, as he’ll be put behind bars for a minimum of six years. That term, however, is expected to be closer to 18 years (or longer) according to most legal experts.

I was transitioning between high school and college when the O.J. story first broke. Most of us remember the media circus. We remember the evidence. We remember the white Ford Bronco chase that hypnotized a nation on live TV. We remember the trial for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman. And, sadly, we remember the greatest miscarriage of our judicial system in modern-American history.

Simpson walked away a free man after Johnnie Cochran and a self-proclaimed “Dream Team” of high-dollar lawyers persuaded a jury that “if it (the glove) doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Although he continued to thumb his nose at any notion that “justice would one day be served” (by living the lifestyle of a playboy set free), O.J. could never outrun the judgment of a nation convinced of his guilt.

In 1997, some sense of vindication was granted for the families of the victims as a jury slapped civil liability on Simpson for the “wrongful death” and “battery” of Nicole and Ron. Despite the few financial restraints and complications that Simpson has endured, he has continued to parade his freedom on golf courses across the country ever since.

Until recently, the civil verdict was the only ‘justice’ imposed upon O.J. Simpson. Yet on October 3rd, a jury found him guilty on 12 charges stemming from an incident in 2007 in Las Vegas. The charges included armed robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy, among others. While the minimum sentence would allow Simpson to leave prison in a meager six years, it is more likely that he will face at least the next 18 years in jail…if not more.

At age 61, 18 years would be darn close to imposing a “Life Sentence” on O.J., and it would gift wrap a much-anticipated delivery of justice. That period, in the very least, should force him to think about (and dwell upon) the pain he has caused so many others: the families of the victims, his own family, and the millions of Americans who lost faith in the judicial system that allowed him to go unscathed back in 1995.

This time however, there is no Bronco, no media circus, and no fanfare to block for O.J. as he limps toward the end zone. For one, I’ll be watching with a great deal of pleasure tomorrow as a new inmate will face a blitz of justice that he can’t outrun…and one that will end the tragedy, and the saga, that were left unfinished for far too long.

Justice: 15 Years Overdue