EVENTS TACKLE STAR'S APPEAL : SIMPSON IMAGE AT ALL-TIME LOW.

Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer

In the box-office hit ``Jerry McGuire,'' a deal-hungry NFL wide receiver screams at his sports agent, ``Show me the money!''

O.J. Simpson might say the same thing after his wrongful death trial, but he could be wasting his breath.

Sure, there could be another book. Maybe a movie based on his life. But marketing executives, talent handlers and others say that regardless of which way the verdict goes, the former football star is washed up as a pitchman and actor.

``He has no marketability - zero,'' said Woodland Hills public relations consultant Robert Fisher. ``Dennis Rodman, look at him. All he did was kick someone in the (groin) and he was immediately dropped by Carl's Jr.''

``It's like touching a leper - you don't want to do it,'' said a talent-management insider, who declined to be named.

At Sports Memorabilia Etc. in Studio City, Simpson stuff is gathering dust on the bottom shelves. ``We haven't sold an O.J. item in I can't remember when,'' said store owner Richard Khoury Sr.

What a difference a couple of years make.

Simpson once had lucrative deals with NBC and Hertz. Even after his arrest in the June 12, 1994, slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, Simpson wrote a memoir, ``I Want to Tell You,'' which earned him $1 million.

In October 1995 after his acquittal, he netted a reported $600,000-plus selling photos of his Brentwood homecoming party to Star magazine and a number of overseas publications.

Since then, however, Simpson's been a little overexposed. He's been photographed at golf courses, churches, charity events and going through the side door at the Santa Monica courthouse.

He made an infomercial. He called ``Larry King Live'' and The New York Times. He chatted with radio station KKBT-FM. He's had reporters inside his Rockingham Avenue estate. He did an hour with Black Entertainment Television.

And during his civil trial, Simpson talked on the witness stand for several days.

But more than anything, sources say, it's the public contempt that has caused Simpson's stock to plunge. Even the tabloids have lost interest.

``We're not willing to pay O.J. anything. It would be an extremely unpopular move with our readers,'' said Globe Editor Tony Frost.

Simpson recently was rumored to have inked a deal with ``Inside Edition'' for a post-trial interview. The television tabloid denies the rumors and insists it is not going to any extraordinary lengths to get a Simpson interview after the civil trial.

``We're just like any other news organization in our attempt to interview him. When and if he makes himself available for an interview, we'll be there,'' said spokeswoman Jan Murray.

Simpson said recently that he didn't know who he'd be talking to after the civil case. During the final week of the trial, he collected reporters' business cards as he mulled his options.

One thing was for sure: Simpson hadn't made any promises to Johnnie Cochran Jr., the lawyer who helped him win his freedom.

Cochran now co-hosts a legal affairs show for Court TV in New York. The network has put in a request for an interview, but hasn't heard back, according to a Court TV spokeswoman.

Isn't there anything out there for Simpson? What about hawking ab-blasters or a car dealership on late-night TV?

Simpson's friends seem confident that something will come along.

``I think O.J. Simpson has numerous opportunities and the opportunities are unknown to the general public,'' said Simpson friend Leo Terrell, a civil rights attorney.

But if the doomsayers are correct, it probably won't come as any surprise to Simpson.

Early last year, television stations refused to accept advertising for the $29.95 infomercial. His sports memorabilia hasn't sold since the criminal trial. His rookie card, once worth $200, is now valued at $50.

``I just quit buying the stuff,'' said T.J. Schwartz, president of Porky's Baseball Cards Inc., in North Hollywood.

But Simpson could have a few tricks up his sleeve. Another book deal is a possibility. Or he could sell the movie rights to his story.

He also might be able to cash in on his notoriety in Europe or Asia. It worked for pop star Michael Jackson, who draws huge crowds overseas, despite accusations of child molestation in this country.

Simpson already tested the waters across the Atlantic with a two-day, ``O.J. in U.K.'' tour after the acquittals. The response was tepid.

Simpson was worth nearly $11 million just four years ago. These days, he claims he's broke. But even if he never makes another dime off his name, nobody expects him to go hungry.

According to published reports, Simpson's worth at least $3 million, the bulk of it in pension and retirement funds that were set up in the 1980s and would not be touchable by the plaintiffs in the civil trial, unless he borrowed on them.

Simpson also can expect to draw $2,000 monthly pension checks from the NFL and the Screen Actors Guild in 4-1/2 years, when he turns 55.

Simpson could prove his detractors wrong. His financial future could be shaped by how he chooses to lead his life. Is he a good father? Does he spend less time on the golf course and more time in the inner city?

What if he decides to devote his life to public service?

``He might totally reinvent his image,'' said Lawrence Schiller, author of the Simpson book ``American Tragedy.'' ``The question is if Simpson is a big enough man to do something like that.''

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Photo: (color) ``We haven't sold an O.J. item in I can't remember when,'' said Sports Memorabilia Etc. store owner Richard Khoury Sr.

David Sprague/Daily News