OJ Simpson, football image, NFL Films screenshot/ other images, ABC News screenshot, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vomEMEv6C9o
O.J. Simpson, the legendary football player whose life was marked by both outstanding athletic achievement and significant controversy, passed away on April 10 at the age of 76 after battling prostate cancer. His family and his attorney confirmed the news.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” read a statement from Simpson’s family shared on social media.
Simpson’s legacy in the public eye is a complex one, defined by his remarkable success in football and his later involvement in a highly publicized murder trial that captivated the nation. He is still considered one of the best football players of our time.
Life after the NFL seemed equally successful. He was a famous sportscaster, a movie star with several films, and a much-sought-after brand pitchman, most notable for Hertz Rental Cars. But that all changed when he was accused in 1994 of killing his second wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Even before Simpson was arrested, he captivated the country by going on a low-speed car chase with police in his now-infamous white Bronco along with a friend. He eventfully stopped and turned himself in. What followed was probably one of the most watched murder trials ever. He has a legal dream team: Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Alan Dershowitz, and F. Lee Bailey The trial split the country by race, as Nicole was white. He was ultimately found not guilty. However, he was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial.
Born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California, Simpson rose to fame as a standout athlete at the University of Southern California (USC). His exceptional talent on the football field earned him the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 1968, becoming USC’s second Heisman winner. Simpson’s college career was highlighted by numerous record-breaking performances, including a notable 64-yard touchdown run against UCLA that remains iconic in college football history, Yahoo Sports reported.
In the 1969 NFL Draft, Simpson was selected as the first overall pick by the Buffalo Bills, where he achieved notable success as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. His standout season in 1973, during which he became the first player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, further cemented his place in football lore. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
In 2007, Simpson faced further legal troubles when he was convicted of robbery and kidnapping in connection with an incident at a Las Vegas hotel. He served nine years in prison before being granted parole in 2017, ESPN reported.
Black Twitter responded to his death.
“The thing to remember about Orenthal James Simpson is that he consciously crafted himself in opposition to the conscious Black athlete; he was the anti-Jim Brown, the anti-Ali. “I’m not Black, I’m OJ.,” No Comps posted.
Old Heady Energy tweeted, “RIP OJ Simpson You can tell he didn’t GAF when he would guest on Ma$e & Cam’ron’s It Is What It Is sports show.”
Mark Stevenson noted how one media out covered the news, “Peep how this Breaking News headline begins. RIP OJ Simpson.”
The African Renaissance tweeted, “I don’t wanna hear shxt today from Black people trying to be righteous in regards to OJ.. Y’all were on here glorifying and fantasizing over that serial killer King Von. Such an unserious group of individuals lmfaooo.”
The Moguldom Nation tweeted, “There is a unique and complex Black American profile that would back someone like OJ to “get back” at an anti-Black system. Even, if you thought it was greater than 50% odds OJ committed the murders. It reflects political desperation & a lack of politically efficient mechanisms, to FIGHT BACK.”
Professor Marc Lamont Hill also stressed Simpson should not be glorified. He tweeted, “O.J. Simpson was an abusive liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood. His acquittal for murder was the correct and necessary result of a racist criminal legal system. But he’s still a monster, not a martyr.”
Yet others say he innocent of the murders.
Filmmaker Tariq Nasheed tweeted, “If anyone seriously thinks that OJ Simpson just randomly decided one night to put on a skull cap, a track suit, some Bruno Magli dress shoes, and small gloves that didn’t fit, and drive over to his ex wife’s house in this ridiculous outfit, and brutally m**der her AND her friend, with a knife, and not get any bruises, and then get rid of the bloody clothes and knife… and make it home to go catch a flight..all within a 25 minute time span…..I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you”.
Political analyst and author Boyce Watkins took it back to the nagging question about Simpson’s murder case, tweeted a poll titled, “Did OJ Do It?)
