Alan Thicke and O.J. Simpson Almost Owned A Canadian Football Team In The 90′s

All, Canada!, NFL, Television Stephen Douglas February 9th. 2012, 4:36pm

In the late 1980′s and early 1990′s the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats were up for sale. Hamilton businessman David Braley bought the team in 1989, but the team struggled to make a profit with poor attendance. With Wayne Gretzky and John Candy having recently been a part of a group to buy the Toronto Argonauts, the Hamilton brass turned to Canada’s greatest treasure – Alan Thicke. From TSN:

Thicke said he got support from actor Martin Short, musician and producer David Foster and [O.J.] Simpson to join the venture. Thicke said he felt Simpson was nearby and had the Buffalo experience, so he knew the Toronto and Hamilton market.

It was not to be…

“I rounded up this group and it all disappeared in one day,” Thicke told The Mike Richards Show on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto on Tuesday. “I was going into the studio one day and everybody was watching the television, riveted to the screen. I looked over and (realized) one of my partners is going down the freeway in a Bronco. It was O.J. Simpson. That was as close as I got to ownership.”

All because of one little freeway chase! If only they could have gotten past O.J.’s one little dust-up with the law.

[TSN, Getty]

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54 Responses to “Alan Thicke and O.J. Simpson Almost Owned A Canadian Football Team In The 90′s”

1
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:37 PM
R.I.P. Boner Stabone.
2
ms621 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Alan Thicke? Was Bryan Adams already leveraged in another deal?
3
Hope Solo Mio Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:39 PM
R.I.P. Boner Stabone.
“Your dad named you Sylvester Stabone?”
4
KingJizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Does this mean we were “this close” to seeing OJ cut Anne Murray’s head off?
5
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:40 PM
Awesome caption.
6
kaiserwilhelmreems Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:41 PM
fuckin Nordberg screwin’ it up for everyone else.
/show that smile again
7
spencer096 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:42 PM
is alan thicke the dude from ferris bueller?
8
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:42 PM
is alan thicke the dude from ferris bueller?
growing pains. the dad.
9
Hope Solo Mio Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:42 PM
Joanna Kerns was hot. Tracy Gold, not so much of her.
10
kaiserwilhelmreems Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:43 PM
is alan thicke the dude from ferris bueller?
are you thinking of the pedophile principle?
11
spencer096 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:43 PM
growing pains. the dad.
oh. OH YEA. THAT guy.
12
FredSanford Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:44 PM
Does this mean we were “this close” to seeing OJ cut Anne Murray’s head off?
My dad would kill you for suggesting that.
13
Ballz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:45 PM
I once saw Alan Thicke at a taping of Politically Incorrect wit Bill Maher. With Jimmy Kimmel and Wolfgang Puck. That’s my story.
14
arkbadger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:46 PM
is alan thicke the dude from ferris bueller?
growing pains. the dad.
that’s not the same dude? it’s been a while since I’ve seen growing pains I guess.
15
KingGrizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:46 PM
It’s AC damnit!
16
cleet Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:46 PM
/show me that smile again
/don’t waste another minute on your cryin’
17
PL StabbinKabin Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:46 PM
Oh Gawd, I just saw a preview for full metal jousting on the History channel. This is must watch television people, someone is going to die.
18
cleet Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:47 PM
are you thinking of the pedophile principle?
“ROONEY! Errrrr.”
19
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:47 PM
Jeffrey Jones got REALLY fat and was in Deadwood, pretty great character.
Also I think he was acquitted of the child porn charges.
20
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:48 PM
that’s not the same dude? it’s been a while since I’ve seen growing pains I guess.
huh? no, not the same dude.
21
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Jeffrey Jones got REALLY fat and was in Deadwood, pretty great character.
Also I think he was acquitted of the child porn charges.
HOLY SHIT YOU JUST BLEW MY MIND!
He’s the fat newspaper dude? I knew he looked familiar.
22
KingGrizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Norm Macdonald’s weekend update when he was talking about OJ is legendary.
“This just in, murder is now legal in the state of California”
23
VladimirCrouton Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Bring back Deadwood cocksuckers!
24
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Whoa NEVERMIND I was wrong. Not acquitted.
Also was selling pot and smokes to kids. Hero.
25
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:51 PM
His mug shot.

His equally hilarious non mug shot.
26
PL StabbinKabin Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:51 PM
Norm Macdonald’s weekend update when he was talking about OJ is legendary.
Or when he was at the ESPY’s and told Charles Woodson that a Heisman trophy is “something you will have for the rest of your life and that no one can take away from you…..Unless you kill your wife and a waiter.”
27
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Unless you kill your wife and a waiter.
still laugh almost every time I see that.
28
kaiserwilhelmreems Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Also I think he was acquitted of the child porn charges.
he pleaded down but still has to register as a sex offender. i remember a story a couple years ago where he failed to do so and got arrested again.
29
KingGrizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:52 PM
http://0.tqn.com/d/crime/1/0/K/K/1/Jeffrey-Jone-2003.jpg
Now that is some facial hair
30
ms621 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:53 PM
Whoa NEVERMIND I was wrong. Not acquitted.
Also was selling pot and smokes to kids. Hero.
The Biography Channel (I think) recently did a “Making Of…” for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Jeffrey Jones was included on the interviews. It was quite jarring to say the least.
31
arkbadger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:53 PM
Jeffrey Jones got REALLY fat and was in Deadwood
loved how in Devils Advocate they had him jogging when he got whacked. like that fat fuck would run recreationally
32
KingGrizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:54 PM
The Norm Macdonald roast of Bob Saget is also fantastic. Turing the whole roast format on its head — you could tell the comedians onstage loved it.
“He face looks like a flower — a cauliflower!”
33
SouvenirCity Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:56 PM
Sandy Alderson is tweeting. He’s… taking shots at the teams finances… I think? The Mets are more broken than previously thought. Pretty sure if I tweeted him right now I could begin negotiating for David Wright.
34
VladimirCrouton Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:57 PM
Chiz and LaPorta for Wright. Do it Antonetti!
35
KingJizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 4:58 PM
Wasn’t there some connection between Norm’s OJ jokes and his ultimately getting canned from SNL? Like Lorne Michaels was a personal friend of OJ or something?
36
ATL_Badger Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Like Lorne Michaels was a personal friend of OJ or something?
Not sure. OJ used to work for NBC though.
37
KingGrizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:04 PM
Wasn’t there some connection between Norm’s OJ jokes and his ultimately getting canned from SNL? Like Lorne Michaels was a personal friend of OJ or something?
A NBC bigwig was personal friends with OJ — which eventually led to Norm’s firing b\c they repeatedly told him to lay off the Juice.
KingJizz
Wow.
38
KingJizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:06 PM
Macdonald’s time with Saturday Night Live effectively ended in late 1997, when he was fired from the Weekend Update segment upon the insistence of NBC West Coast Executive Don Ohlmeyer, who pressured the producers to remove him, explaining that Macdonald was “not funny.” Some believe that Don Ohlmeyer’s friendship with O.J. Simpson — a celebrity whom Macdonald often antagonized on the show — may have fueled Ohlmeyer’s decision,[14][15] but Macdonald has been quoted as saying that he “finds that thesis ‘weird’ and takes Ohlmeyer’s explanation at face value”
39
sportsgal116 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:07 PM
Anyone here ever really listened to the lyrics of Between the Bars by Elliott Smith? That is one dark drug song.
40
oskie Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:09 PM
Boner Stabone
41
José Ovechkin Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:11 PM
The Norm Macdonald roast of Bob Saget is also fantastic. Turing the whole roast format on its head — you could tell the comedians onstage loved it.
“He face looks like a flower — a cauliflower!”
It might’ve been funnier if no one really laughed. Definitely would’ve been more cringe-worthy; ’twas brilliant nonetheless.
42
kaiserwilhelmreems Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:15 PM
Pretty sure if I tweeted him right now I could begin negotiating for David Wright.
insist there must be a large cash deposit delivered to you before you formally accept the trade terms.
43
payaso Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Alan Thicke’s daughter in law is Paula Patton. He probably stares at her. I would.
44
Gerard Portmanteau Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:21 PM
O.J. looks like he fired off the meatiest fart of all time in that photo and is just drinking it in.
45
ms621 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Anyone here ever really listened to the lyrics of Between the Bars by Elliott Smith? That is one dark drug song.
Every Elliott Smith song was dark.
46
sportsgal116 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Who’s Paula Patton?
47
José Ovechkin Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:29 PM
Alan Thicke’s daughter in law is Paula Patton. He probably stares at her. I would.
As vital a role she played during puberty for me, I wasn’t really feeling it in her last movie to be honest. Time catches up with everybody eventually.
48
kaiserwilhelmreems Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:42 PM
Who’s Paula Patton?
i don’t know, but i always think of paula poundstone. bad mental imagery.
49
KingJizz Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:46 PM
Who’s Paula Patton?
Alan Thicke’s daughter in law.
50
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 5:57 PM
Every Elliott Smith song was dark.
Yeah really. Dude killed himself with a fucking kitchen knife.
51
Ty_Webb 1.0 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 6:01 PM
Who’s Paula Patton?
Frieda’s boss
52
Cowboy Mike's Red Hot Ricochet Barbecue Sauce Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 6:03 PM
Frieda’s boss
Who’s Frieda?
53
Ty_Webb 1.0 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Who’s Frieda?
nice
54
ms621 Says:
February 9th, 2012 at 6:18 PM
Yeah really. Dude killed himself with a fucking kitchen knife.
And with that knowledge, we can say with certainty that there are at least two things that Elliott Smith was better at than Artie Lange. Songwriting being the first one.