O.J. says If I Did It was never a confession

O.J. Simpson again denied killing his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman during a radio interview Wednesday and said the If I Did It title for his book was not his idea.

"No matter what everybody wants to say, I didn't do it," he said in an interview at WTPS-AM in Miami.

The If I Did It book and Fox TV special, scheduled for release later this week, were cancelled on Monday after an outcry from critics and the families of the victims.

Simpson, who has a home in Miami, said the book and TV special were never intended as a confession.

"I have nothing to confess," he said.

Asked if he killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, he said, "Absolutely not, and I maintained my innocence from day one."

The If I Did It title was dreamed up by the publisher, he said.

"That was their title. That's what they came up with. I didn't pitch anything. I don't make book deals."

Simpson's interview came two days after News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch cancelled the book and two-part interview that had been set to air on the Fox TV network.

All copies of the book will be destroyed, said publisher HarperCollins.

Simpson admitted to getting an advance on the deal, but said it wasn't as high as the $3.5 million US quoted in some press reports.

"Would everybody stop being so naive? Of course I got paid," Simpson said with a laugh. "I spend the money on my bills. It's gone."

Simpson also accused the Goldman family of prolonging its feud with him on frequent TV appearances.

Simpson was acquitted on criminal charges of murder, but later lost a civil suit for "wrongful death" in the killings. He was ordered to pay the Goldman family $33.5 million US.

Simpson says his finances are dwindling after years of lawsuits from the Goldmans which he terms "frivolous."

The only reason he agreed to the interviews was for personal profit, he said later in the day to Associated Press.

"This was an opportunity for my kids to get their financial legacy," Simpson said.

"My kids understand. I made it clear that it's blood money, but it's no different than any of the other writers who did books on this case."

He also claimed he'd denied the killings to the book's writer.