O.J. Simpson Dies at 76 After Cancer Battle

Picture Courtesy: Getty Images
Masego Mosipa

(The Post News) – Orenthal James Simpson, a former actor and National Football League (NFL) player, who played for 11 seasons, has passed away after a battle with prostate cancer. Simpson was a renowned athlete, but he was also known for his involvement in the highly publicized murder case of his wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.

OJ Simpson was the running back for the Buffalo Bills, dawning jersey number 32 and going down in the NFL history books as one of the greatest running backs of all time. With tons of achievements and accolades, the most noticeable being achieving the status of the only NFL player to be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in a 14-game regular season.

In the typical path of a football player, his journey begins in college where he catches the eye of talent scouts. He was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in 1969, and there he embarked on a remarkable career. Eventually, he retired with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979 to explore opportunities in acting and broadcasting. His achievements were duly recognized with inductions into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

His impressive career was however soon to be sidelined and forgotten thanks to the life troubles he encountered along the way. It all came crumbling down in June 1994 when he was arrested and charged with the stab murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, whose lifeless bodies were found outside the home of OJ in Las Vegas.

The trial was one for the ages, capturing international attention with its lengthy proceedings. O.J. Simpson’s controversial acquittal left families and friends of the victims feeling deeply unsettled by the court’s decision. Three years later, however, justice of a different kind was served when he was found guilty and held liable for the deaths of the victims in a civil suit, resulting in a payment of $33 million. While this outcome provided some measure of closure for the families, it could never truly fill the void left by their loved ones nor fully satisfy the quest for justice.

Thirteen years later, in 2007, when it appeared that the dust had subsided and the events were firmly in the past, Simpson’s admission of guilt in a separate crime reignited the controversy. He was subsequently found guilty on all 12 charges related to the murders of Brown and Goldman in 2008, receiving a sentence of 33 years in prison with eligibility for parole after nine years. This parole was granted in July 2017.

Simpson’s life is shrouded in controversy, much like his retirement years. Despite the passage of time, many remain steadfast in their belief that he committed the murders, continuing to voice their opinions publicly. At the time of his death, Simpson was surrounded by his family, including all of his children.