Simpson had been told the suit was in the room and was being offered for sale, along with other artifacts of his life. It turned out the suit wasn't there.
The Smithsonian organization has clearly discarded an attempt by a former Simpson agent to donate the duds to its archive, which includes awesome artifacts like Dorothy's ruby slippers, the Hope diamond, John Dillinger's gun and other items that have played significant roles in U.S. culture.
"The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will not be collecting O.J. Simpson's suit," read a brief statement on the museum website. "The decision was made by the museum's curators together with the director."
Fred Goldman, the father of the man Simpson was accused of killing in 1994, had been fighting Gilbert for the suit, which Simpson has said was stolen from him.
The suit was indirectly responsible for Simpson's current predicament: The former NFL star is imprisoned in Nevada for a bungled effort to reclaim items of his memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room.
The Smithsonian announced its decision with a terse announcement on its Web site.
"The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will not be collecting O.J. Simpson's suit," it said. "The decision was made by the museum's curators together with the director."
Gilbert, who has the suit in storage, said he was disappointed with the decision.
However we like it or not, it's part of American history," he said. "I'm upset that they didn't wait to hear from me and consider my vision of how it should be displayed."
Attorney Ronald P. Slates, who represents Simpson, said he's keeping his client informed about the donation effort. Superior Court Judge Joseph S. Biderman consulted Simpson by phone Monday, then approved Gilbert's plan after Simpson said he would agree as long as no one made any money.
"I'm sad by the fact that the prime museum in America has refused this very important item in the history of American jurisprudence," Slates said. "Regardless of one's feelings about Mr. Simpson, his freeing by a jury of his peers on Oct. 3, 1995 was of great significance and is widely talked about to this day."
Still then-President Bill Clinton look at on television when the jury announced the acquittal in the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman after a yearlong trial.
The museum's spokeswoman, Linda St. Thomas, said curators consider several criteria for accepting donations, including whether an item has historical significance, whether it is needed to complete a collection or is needed for research.
"In this case, they knew it was not appropriate for the collection," she said.
Attorney David Cook, who represents Fred Goldman, said he was sure other institutions would want the suit.
