Tipsheet

OJ Simpson Has Died

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 11, 2024 1:00 PM

OJ Simpson has died. He wasn’t murdered, and there was no white Bronco chase this time. The former NFL star and actor succumbed to cancer at 76. The first overall pick in 1969, he spent most of his career with the Buffalo Bills. He ended his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers, playing for two years in 1978 and 1979. By the time he retired, OJ Simpson, “Juice,” had amassed over 10,000 rushing yards. 

He then turned to the movies, starring in films like The Towering Inferno and Capricorn One, the latter feature about a fictional landing on Mars, which turns out to be a massive NASA conspiracy. However, most would probably recognize him best as “Det. Norberg” from the Naked Gun series. OJ also did some work on Monday Night Football as a color commentator. 

The Juice is one of the greatest running backs of all time. While he’s known for his accolades as a professional athlete, Simpson was the topic of national discussion in the murder trials of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Both were stabbed to death on June 12, 1994, outside of Brown’s condo in Brentwood, Los Angeles. 

Dubbed the trial of the century due to its publicity, Mr. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders. He was found liable in the subsequent wrongful death suit filed by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, where OJ was on the hook for tens of millions. 

Simpson engaged in what could be described as trolling, saying he didn’t want to go to Los Angeles out of fear of running into the real killer. A book, “If I Did It,” was published in 2007, though it went through legal hurdles due to the verdict in Simpson’s civil lawsuit. Simpson reportedly didn’t write the work but had extensive conversations with its author, Pablo Fenjves. 

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The former running back would later be arrested and convicted of armed robbery involving sports memorabilia in Las Vegas in 2007. Simpson claims it was stolen, but in 2008, he was sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the eligibility for parole in nine years. In 2017, Simpson was granted parole. 

We all know who committed those murders. Let’s be honest here. It’s the story of a man who reached the highest levels of athletic achievement, winning the Heisman and being inducted into the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He had inner demons that took his life in a tragic direction. 

In 2016, ESPN’s 30 for 30 series produced a five-part documentary called OJ: Made in America about the late NFL star. It’s worth watching. 

The murder trial led to some excellent SNL skits when it was funny. It also allegedly cost the late comedian Norm McDonald his job at SNL, who frequently made jokes about OJ during the Weekend Update sketch, which rubbed executives the wrong way: