Former star running back O.J. Simpson, whose post-NFL playing career was marred by a controversial acquittal in a famous murder trial, has died at age 76.
A statement ascribed to Simpson’s family released on his Twitter/X account said, “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
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Simpson revealed his cancer diagnosis in a video posted to his Twitter/X account in May 2023. He did not specify which kind of cancer he had but noted that he was battling both COVID-19 and cancer for a time. “I’m healthy now,” he said. “It looks like I beat it.”
Born in San Francisco, Simpson first made his mark on the national sports landscape as a running back in college. He spent his first two years at the City College of San Francisco, then transferred to USC in 1967. He won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, catapulting him to national fame and helping him become the first overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
Simpson would go on to play nine seasons in Buffalo, earning all six of his Pro Bowl Selections and four times leading the NFL in rushing yards.
In 1973, Simpson won the MVP award and the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award. He finished his professional career in San Francisco, playing two seasons with the 49ers from 1977-79.
He remains among the league’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories: 29th in career rushing attempts (2,404), 21st in rushing yards (11,236), and 11th in rushing yards per game (83.2).
Simpson’s post-playing work frequently kept him in the public eye. In addition to various film and television roles, Simpson appeared in a variety of commercials that had little to nothing to do with football. He also worked as a commentator on Monday Night Football and The NFL on NBC.
In June 1994, Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found stabbed to death in Los Angeles. Simpson had previously threatened to kill Nicole, which led him to plead “no contest” to a charge of spousal battery, and was arrested on suspicion of her murder.
The case against Simpson went to court. He was famously acquitted by a jury in October 1995 after a tumultuous, widely televised 11-month trial. The families of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson pursued a civil lawsuit. In Feb. 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica found O.J. Simpson liable for both wrongful deaths and ordered to pay $33.5 million.
That judgment was later enlarged to about $58 million and remained largely unpaid as of 2017.
Simpson would later spend nine years in a Nevada prison for a botched robbery attempt in 2007 involving items Simpson believed had been stolen from him.
The life and trials of Simpson were the subject of many books, docuseries, and public fascination even as he receded from the public eye. He is survived by four children from two marriages.
Uncommon Knowledge
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