One of the comments heard as soon as the death of O.J. Simpson: “I hope he left a video in which he recognizes everything he did, the whole truth.”
O.J. Simpson died at the age of 76 after battling cancer, his family announced on social media. An African-American who became a sports hero and a millionaire as an American football star, once he retired he made the transition to an actor, with high-grossing titles such as ‘The Burning Colossus’ or ‘Grab It As You Can’, although what gave him worldwide notoriety were charges in 1994 for the alleged stabbing murders of his wife, Nicole Brown (white), and his friend Ronald Goldman.
His trial, held in a Los Angeles court and described as “the most sensational of the 20th century,” led to a great judicial reality television show. It was the confrontation between black America and white America. High racial tension.
He created addiction in the audience and then caused consternation when he was acquitted of the accusations even though the evidence seemed unequivocal. His expensive lawyers managed to convince the jury, although in a civil trial he had to face the payment of a significant compensation when he was considered responsible.
“On April 10, our father, Orhental James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. We ask for respect and privacy,” his family said on X’s account.
This was another O.J. Simpson. Despite his acquittal, the trial for the double murder changed his life. He fell from the sports pedestal, became an exiled, or cursed, celebrity, and eventually received a 33-year sentence for a botched robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2007. He was released on parole in October 2017, but his bad shadow did not leave him free.
Gone were his days of glory on the playing fields. Praised as one of the best of all time from his ‘running back’ position, he is the one next to the quarterback (quaterback) and often receives the ball to advance between the lines. Simpson was unstoppable.
He won major individual honors in 1968 and 1969 as a college player. In the 1968 campaign he broke records for the number of yards he ran and led the USC Trojans to the final, the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Ohio.
At the end of his amateur period in 1969, he was chosen number one in the draft by the Buffalo Bills (New York). There he continued his triumphant march, becoming the best player in the league in 1973. He later signed for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired as a major star and entered the Hall of Fame in 1985.
By that time he had made the career move towards the media and remained in the spotlight based on his glory on the grass with the yellow ball. He started as a television commentator and this gave way to his career in Hollywood.
Until 1994, his life took the most unexpected turn. His fame transcended the limits of American football, show business and the United States, spreading throughout the world, albeit due to a double crime that mutated him into another person.
On June 12 of that year, the bodies of his wife and his friend were found outside their Brentwood residence in Los Angeles. Investigators immediately put Simpson under the radar. Instead of turning himself in, the police mounted an operation to hunt him down five days later.
There was a spectacular chase through the Californian city. He was in a Ford car driven by former player and friend Al Cowling. The high audience power of the case was already seen there. It is estimated that 95 million viewers followed that chase. In the end, on the night of that day, Simpson turned himself in at his home in Brentwood.
The oral hearing began in January 1995. It seemed like a movie, but it was real. This case marked a new era in reality television shows and, specifically, the broadcast of a trial. It was more followed than any fiction series
In the room, prosecutor Marcia Clark and Simpson’s “legal team” led by lawyer Johnnie Cochran faced each other, who in closing his conclusions left a sentence for the jury about what they should do: “If it doesn’t fit, they must acquit.” It referred to a glove that was found at the crime scene and that supposedly belonged to the accused. It turned out to be convenient.
On October 3, he was found innocent (not guilty) of both murders.
In 1997, the Goldman family filed a civil suit against Simpson and the jury found him liable and ordered him to pay $33.5 million. To pay off the debt, Simspon auctioned off his trophies.
He then moved from his native California to Florida. He had several more run-ins with the police and justice, while staying out of the public eye. Until thirteen years later, Simpson and an accomplice, Clarence Stewart, stole two pieces of sports memorabilia at gunpoint. He was convicted of twelve counts of armed robbery and kidnapping.
He was admitted to the Lovelock prison in Nevada. After his release in 2017, he achieved full freedom in 2021. He remained in the Las Vegas area after leaving prison and tried to remain popular, so he even joined Twitter (today X). His profile did not rise, avoiding the great unknown. He assured that that night in 1994 would be one that he and his family would never revisit.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” Simpson told the AP in 2019. “That character is the character I never want to go back to again. “My family and I have left what we call the negative zone, we focus on the positive,” she said. No matter how much he says, suspicion goes with him to the grave, unless he has left a video or a statement in his will.
