Silver Airways offers 'Bust Out the OJ' deal after O.J. Simpson granted parole

When O.J. Simpson was granted early parole Thursday after nearly nine years in prison, Silver Airways decided it was time for a "Bust Out the OJ" deal.

The airline company, which flies out of Tallahassee, is offering travelers a chance "to slash" 20 percent off one-way trips through Monday.

The post promoting the deal claims, "with deals so hot, you’ll need to wear gloves to nab them" - a reference to Simpson's murder trial in the stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

Simpson was acquitted of both murders.

The first promotion for the deal appeared on the airline's Facebook page Thursday afternoon following the Nevada parole board's decision. Simpson was arrested and convicted for the 2007 robbery of memorabilia dealers.

A second post for the promotion was posted Friday afternoon.

"Don't lose your chance to escape your prison-like day-to-day routine with our liberating deals," the promotion said on Facebook. "And the only bars you might see are the kinds serving frozen margaritas & piña-coladas."

Reaction to the promotion has been mixed on social media. Some people commended what they said was clever marketing. 

"LOVE the creativity! Got me to notice the ad... which is exactly what you want," Facebook commenter Kristel Kingston Anderson said. "You'll always have nay-sayers... but you got noticed... and it made me smile! Kudos to your marketing team!" 

Others thought the promotion was a joke or was fake. 

"This is a HORRIBLE 'promotion,'" commenter Sandi Turton said. "When I received the email blast I thought it was a spoof because surely, no company in their right mind would risk offending such a large percentage of their target demographics. This is unacceptable on so many levels."

The ad also drew the ire of former House Speaker Dean Cannon, who posted on his Facebook page "to say it's in poor taste is an understatement."

"Killings are a tragedy no matter who is involved, and to use them for advertising is abhorrent," he wrote.

The Tallahassee Democrat has reached out to Silver Airways for comment.