Sure, the inclusion of O.J. Simpson, former murder suspect and Hertz pitchman, may have been a questionable choice for 2K Sports' All-Pro Football 2K8, but combined with the fictional in-game team The Assassins, does that make things far, far worse? Financial outlet The Street seems to think so.

Reporter Priya Ganapati calls the decision to include the Assassin mascot a "play on Simpson's notoriety as the accused in the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman" one that "reflects a lack of sensitivity and leaves the company open to accusations of bad taste" later adding that "it suggests an attempt to deliberately offend and use Simpson's past to profit and promote a video game that many parents would likely buy as a normal sports-game purchase."

It's unclear how much thought 2K Sports invested in including both the mascot and Simpson, although, personally, the latter inclusion seems like a bad idea from the start. However, I can't help but feel the relationship between the two is tenuous at best and that the strained headline of the article, linked below, is extremely telling of the forced controversy. Thoughts?

Take-Two Game Has O.J. Simpson — and a Knife [The Street]

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