Even though he retired from the National Football League (NFL) in 1979, Hall of Fame inductee O.J. Simpson can’t seem to avoid the hits, which have come fast and furious since the 1994 murder of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown.

Simpson — who was charged with her murder, but ultimately was found innocent after the “Trial of the Century” concluded — is facing foreclosure on the five-bedroom Miami, Fla., home that he purchased back in 2000 for $575,000.

To see Simpson’s preforeclosure listing on Foreclosure.com click here.

In an odd twist, the lender apparently attempted to serve Simpson “on a daily basis” with foreclosure papers; however, “Juice” is currently locked up behind bars in a Nevada prison, “serving a nine-to-33-year prison sentence in a 2007 armed confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas casino hotel room.”

According to the report from FOXSports.com, the attorneys for the former Buffalo Bills running back are attempting to have the foreclosure case dismissed. It’s unclear who is living in the house while Simpson rides out his jail term and/or what he intends to do with the property if he can rescue it from repossession.

Stay tuned.

It’s turning into foreclosure “Rush Hour” on actor/comedian Chris Tucker’s 10,000 sq. ft. waterfront mansion in Lake Apopka, Fla., which is reportedly in distress to the tune of $4.4 million.

Orlando Sentinel reports that Tucker, who purchased the luxurious five-bedroom expanse for $6 million back in 2007, is in jeopardy of losing it after SunTrust Bank filed a default notice with the local Lake County courthouse. It is not his primary residence, which is perhaps among the many reasons he has not remained current on the staggering $25,812.50 monthly payment.

Tucker and and his power of attorney on the original home sale declined to comment on the situation.

With a combined salary of $45 million to star opposite Jackie Chan in the “Rush Hour” sequel, as well as the trilogy, including an additional multimillion dollar deal to appear in another New Line Cinema-produced film, it’s hard to imagine that Tucker is hard up for cash.

However, last year Tucker and the central Florida property in the prestigious Bella Collina neighborhood were the target of an $11.5 million Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lien, which was out to collect delinquent federal income taxes.

“Money Talks.”

Perhaps the most recognizable celebrity to emerge from South Florida, Burt Reynolds, is in danger of losing his 4-acre compound in Hobe Sound to foreclosure.

WPTV.com reports today that the 75-year-old actor has not paid his mortgage since Sept. 2010 and owes $1.2 million on a luxurious slice of coastal waterfront real estate that he has in the past referred to as his very own “Valhalla,” which is a majestic mythological paradise.

The San Francisco Chronicle details more about its many amenities:

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The national housing crisis, and the various programs that have been implemented to correct it, have been well documented in the news and elsewhere. So much so that it’s seemingly impossible to escape.

Nothing is “reportedly” working. Not consistently, anyway, to stem the foreclosure tide and help distressed homeowners keep roofs over their heads.

But, alas, there is the story of Deborah Johnson in the Herald Tribune today, which details the “offer she couldn’t refuse” from her mortgage lender, JP Morgan Chase.

Behind on her mortgage for nearly two years, and seemingly headed for foreclosure, Johnson thought she had exhausted all options. But then Chase called her up one day and offered to forgive $100,000 of her debt, as well as give her $35,000 cash, to move out of her Sarasota, Fla., home.

The catch? All she had to do was agree to a short sale and help find a new buyer to live in her four-bedroom Lockwood Lakes home.

With cash in her pocket, credit salvaged and comfort knowing that she would not be pursued by creditors in the future, Johnson accepted the offer and is currently helping the bank show the home, which is on the market for $118,000, to prospective/buyers investors.

So what’s in it for CHASE, or any other lender in a similar situation? Company spokeswoman Nancy Norris explains the reasoning:

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The housing market in South Florida took the downturn in housing hit flush on the chin. Today, it’s among the top regions in the nation for mortgage defaults and foreclosures.

As a result, home values came hurtling back to Earth — many as much as 50 percent or more from their pre-crash equity — like cosmic fireballs. That has enticed opportunistic, cash-laden investors to snatch up real estate at drastically reduced prices.

In fact, a recent report in the Miami Herald reveals that in May 2011 “home sales continued to rise, keeping South Florida on track to have its best year on record.” In addition, “in the first five months of the year, more than 23,000 homes and condos have traded hands in South Florida, one of the strongest five-month runs on record.”

While sales are clearly brisk, going in the opposite direction of national trends and actually setting records, home prices in South Florida continue to plummet. Typically, when demand increases, so does the cost of doing business.

Apparently that’s not the case in this market.

The large existing (and unknown) inventory of distressed real estate — cheap foreclosures and short sales — is likely to blame for the current situation. Ron Shuffield, president of Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realty, attempts to explain it:

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