On April 10, 2024, former NFL star OJ Simpson passed away in his home in Las Vegas as a result of prostate cancer.  Orenthal James Simpson, commonly known as OJ, leaves behind a complicated legacy after a successful football career but a controversial life after he retired.  

      Simpson was selected as the first overall pick in the 1969 draft by the Buffalo Bills and played for them for 8 years before finishing his career in San Francisco. His college and NFL career included many accolades such as winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968 while playing at USC, being the NFL MVP in 1973, as well as being inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1985. Additionally, Simpson was the first ever NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in one season and lead the league in rushing yards three seasons in a row.

     After his football career ended, Simpson made his mark in Hollywood, starring in a number of commercials and famous movies, including The Towering Inferno and Naked Gun 33 1/2. However, it is the controversies and crimes he was accused of after he left football that many people remember OJ Simpson for most of all. 

     Simpson’s most notoriety came in 1995 when he was tried for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.  Both of them were brutally killed in 1994, and after being charged in their deaths, Simpson’s trial captivated the country.  Eventually, Simpson was found not guilty and acquitted of the crime at his criminal trial.  However, a few years later he was found liable for the murders in a civil trial, which resulted in him being penalized financially, but he did not receive any jail time.

     Later in life, Simpson was once again charged with a crime and was tried for stealing sports memorabilia from another person.  He was found guilty of that crime and sent to prison, but he was eventually released and set free. 

     The OJ Simpson murder trial was considered by many to be the trial of the century.  After a Hall of Fame football career, it destroyed his reputation and left the families of the victims devastated.  And while some may still think of OJ Simpson as a great NFL running back, far more people will always view him as a man who got away with murder.