When most people die you immediately start telling stories of their best moments, but the discourse around this celebrity death is certainly going to be a bit different.
OJ Simpson, former NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, passed away yesterday at the age of 76.
His family posted the following to his social media:
“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.”
Now, I obviously left out a big piece of his life when describing him as nothing more than an NFL running back.
As the entire world knows, OJ was put on trial for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and former friend Ron Goldman in 1994, but was acquitted in one of the highest profile cases of all time. He was later found guilty in a civil case for their deaths and was told to pay the victim’s families $33.5 million dollars, although it’s unknown if much or any of that was actually paid.
He later was arrested in 2008 for armed robbery and kidnapping after entering a Las Vegas hotel room and taking at gunpoint sports memorabilia which he claims belonged to him. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison with a minimum of 9 years without parole. OJ was released early in 2017 and became a cultural figure of sorts for his at times unhinged rants on social media.
Was he one of the best running backs of all-time? You betcha.
But was he also potentially a cold blooded killer? Well, one look at the comments on X will let you know how the public feels about him.
And there’s plenty, plenty more where that came from…
Normal I would say “RIP” around here, but in this instance, I’m going to send thoughts and prayers to the family, who are no doubt in turmoil for losing a father.
Here’s a compilation of the great Norm Macdonald’s thoughts on OJ…
