The View host Sara Haines REFUSES to say OJ Simpson's name in the wake of his death - and insists people should 'focus on his victim Nicole Brown' who was 'failed by legal system again and again'

The View host Sara Haines refused to say OJ Simpson's name during Friday's episode of the ABC show as the panel discussed the death of the former NFL football player, who passed away at his Las Vegas home on April 10 at the age of 76.

The panel, including Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin, were talking about the fact that Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and waiter Ron Goldman in the unforgettable 1995 murder trial, when Sara, 46, said: 'There were innocent people involved here and I'd like to take a moment to mention them.

'Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were brutally killed and murdered and I think that the legal system failed Nicole over and over again. 

'She had called 911 nine times, the c**p beaten out of her, bloody in bushes and they always released her domestic abuser.'

Joy, 81, replied: 'Who was OJ?' as mother-of-three Sara fired back: 'Yeah I just want to not say his name like everyone is because I think the people that need to be focused on are Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, who were more than victims in this.'

The View's Sara Haines refused to say OJ Simpson's name on Friday's show as they discussed his death

Sara said that Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown was 'failed Nicole over and over again' by the legal system

Sara told the panel, including Joy Behar, that she wanted to remember Nicole as well as Ronald Goldman - who was murdered on the same night in June 1994

Joy described 25-year-old Ronald Goldman as an 'innocent bystander' on that fateful night in Brentwood, Los Angeles

Referring to Nicole, who was 35-years-old when she was stabbed to death outside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on June 12, 1994, Sara continued: 'She had kids, she was a beloved woman [who] missed out on major parts of her life.

'The Goldman family still longs for their son who was funny, kind and outgoing,' Sara added as Joy butted in again and said of 25-year-old Ron: 'He was really an innocent bystander...'

'They both were innocent, and I think that's the problem here,' Sara replied as Joy said of Nicole: 'She was too, she was not a bystander.'

Alyssa, who appeared to dismiss Simpson's death during Thursday's episode of The View when she said that her 'only thought' was that she hopes his passing 'gives some peace' to the families of Nicole and Ron, joined in on the conversation and referred to claims made on X by a woman called Nicole Minet. 

'There's more to this as well because I actually learned today - and I'm going to say allegedly - a woman came forward and alleged that she knew of an NDA that was signed back when he was in college from two separate women in separate altercations saying they were victims of domestic violence,' the former White House aide explained.

'So that evidence was never able to be used in the courtroom in Nicole and Ron's cases and I think it could have fundamentally changed the outcome if you could have been able to show this pattern.

'So there needs to be a change in policy in using NDAs to silence victims because there can be other victims afterwards because they're not able to share their stories,' Alyssa suggested, before adding of Nicole: 'She could have been alive today.'  

Ana, 52, then commented: 'And what's still sad is that we're still seeing cases of rich celebrities that somehow get treated differently, right? When we see R. Kelly for example, there's so many of them, athletes, celebrities, so that still happens...'

Ana Navarro claimed 'we're still seeing cases of rich celebrities that get treated differently'

Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin (right) listened intently as Sara shared her thoughts

Sunny slammed the decision to get Simpson do a 'demonstration with gloves' in the 1995 murder trial

Sara was keen to mention Ron Goldman's family, who are pictured here in October 1995 when Simpson was found not guilty

Sunny, 55, remarked: 'It's the dark side of celebrity, no question,' as Ana continued: 'But we like to say to the world that, "in America nobody is above the law, in America everybody is equal under the law"...' 

'But we know that's no true,' Sunny fired back, before referring back to the murder trial in 1995: 'And by the way, the prosecution in many respects lost this case by having a racist cop testify, by doing a demonstration with gloves - that's like law school 101, you are don't try it for the first time in front of people...'

Ana then added: 'I saw a jury member yesterday getting interviewed who said that they all assumed the glove was his, they all assumed the glove fit, and the idea of making him try it on and it didn't fit was such a huge mistake because it gave them something to hang their hat on for reasonable doubt.'

Back in the nineties, the public was mesmerized by his 'trial of the century' on live TV as Simpson's case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.

Prior to Nicole and Ron's death, it was known that Simpson has been physically abusive to his ex-wife in the past, notably in a 1989 incident when she called the police after he became enraged after seeing a photo of her ex-boyfriend in a photo album.

'He's going to kill me,' Nicole told a 911 dispatcher. The beating left her with a black eye, bruised cheek and cut lip.

A criminal court jury found Simpson not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Nicole and Goldman. He continued to declare his innocence.

He later served nine years in prison for robbery and kidnapping over an attempt to steal back some of his sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room.

He insisted his conviction and sentence were unfair but said: 'I believe in the legal system and I honored it. I served my time.'