Inside the Ford Bronco

Ryan Murphy's Unintentional but Compelling Case Against the NFL

Let's begin with two statements that, while not undeniably true, can be reasonably assumed. First, O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. And second, Ryan Murphy does not have an agenda against the National Football League. Despite a certain notorious not guilty verdict, the second one might actually be a tougher buy. How the hell am I supposed to know what Ryan Murphy thinks? This is the same guy who turned actress Jane Lynch into a singer and singer Lady GaGa into an actress.

But let's put Murphy's other work aside; American Crime Story is incredible. It has jam-packed more intensity into its first two episodes than most shows have throughout their entire series. And since you know how the story ends, it comes across less agonizingly gut-wrenching and more excitingly crazy. In a weird way, we as viewers can distance ourselves from the characters because we know their fates. Mix in a star-studded cast and the kooky Kardashian connection, and you've got a show that perfectly combines intensity and fun.

But you all can go see that for yourselves. I want to get at something sitting just beneath the surface in episode two. The stuff that's going on inside the Ford Bronco. Forgive my ignorance, but I never knew that O.J. was so close to putting a bullet in his head. I was so naive, I kind of thought he was driving the car.

Different White Bronco

The truth, of course, is that O.J. was one misstep away--by either his friend driving or the cops in pursuit--from upgrading the double homicide to a double murder-suicide. He was totally broken down. Either because he truly believed he was innocent and couldn't comprehend what had happened, or because (far more likely) he was so deep in denial that it caused him to short-circuit.

Cuba Gooding Jr. does a marvelous job portraying it all in the episode. Even though I can't get over the fact he's about half the size of the real O.J., I must admit that he was the right man for the role. No other actor can capture that combination of confusion, anguish and rage quite like Cuba did. It reminded me of a young child who knew he had just done a very, very bad thing and can't face the consequences. And believe it or not, that's how Ryan Murphy's unintentional argument against the NFL begins.

Children's brains are underdeveloped, somewhat scrambled before they can finally take shape. Victims of CTE also have scrambled brains, but they don't get theirs back to normal. We have medical experts betting their licenses that O.J. Simpson has that very disease. This doesn't excuse killing two people, but it does provide a better explanation as to how such an adored figure can fall so hard and so fast. And it takes another peg out of the Jenga tower that is the National Football League's player safety initiative.

Imagine if O.J. had lived the exact same life but 20 years later. So he starred as a running back in the 90s, became a pseudo-movie star in the 00s, and went on trial last year. Firstly, it's wild to imagine the social media storm that would have stemmed from this all if it happened today. The Internet might have combusted like a supernova. But more importantly, imagine how all the talk about concussions and football-induced head trauma would play into the case.

Because that timeline was different, people were understandably not able to connect the dots. But if you're revisiting the ordeal with this show now, you have no excuse. Not to mention that if you're my age, this is the first time you've really got to see any of this. And watching this now, I think about Junior Seau, I think about Jovan Belcher, I think about Dale Duerson, I think about the countless other former players who consider themselves lucky to be alive, and it's easy to see these incidents are not the outliers.

I'm not saying the NFL is directly responsible for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. That's ridiculous. But we can't deny the way football changed all these people for the worse. American Crime Story, whether intentional or not, explicitly showed that while humanizing a vicious killer. As it moves to the court room, the series may not reach that level of tormenting anguish again. But inside the Ford Bronco, it's at a fever pitch.

It may be scripted drama, but it's still the most direct way in which any of us have had to deal with the consequences of CTE and the game we love so much. I've made my exit from football fandom pretty clear, but there had always been a good chance I would cave and come crawling back. After seeing that, I'm not so sure.