Article By: Texas Ed @EdSmith7133
Photo Credit: US Sun
O.J. Simpson has passed away at the age of 76. Twenty-eight years ago a country gripped by the courtroom drama of the murder trial of Orenthal James Simpson stood still as Judge Lance Ito handed down his ruling. The Not Guilty verdict of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman concluded a defining moment in the third act of his life. It is the most notorious section of the former All-American. Not only was this a seminal moment in Simpson’s life but it was also a moment that launched some of the most well-known and influential parts of everyday pop culture as we see them today. Despite the importance of that early October day, it was not the only important day in life to reflect on as the man known as “O.J.” passed away. He was surrounded by family and friends as his fight with prostate cancer ended on Wednesday.
Most of America became aware of O. J. Simpson while he was the shifty and powerful running back who was the focal point of the University of Southern California football team in 1967 and 1968. An impressive athlete who was named the Heisman Trophy winner for the Nation’s Best Collegiate Player, he decided to make himself available to the NFL through their amateur draft. Once selected by the Buffalo Bills the business and brand acumen of O. J. began to shine through as he lobbied owner Ralph Wilson to give him what was the largest contract in football to date. This was a contract that was well worth it. The Bills became an immediate contender behind Simpson and his extraordinary ability to run the ball.
In 1973, O. J. Simpson became the first running back to gain more than two thousand yards in fourteen games (compared to the seventeen games per season played starting in 2023). His career, in which he became one of the defining faces of the league, lasted eleven seasons and included an Offensive Player of the Year and MVP award along with 11,326 yards. The last two years with the San Francisco 49ers.
From there Simpson found success in the entertainment field as he used his recognition to begin an acting career. Going back to his college days he was able to land some roles on various TV shows and feature films. With Simpson’s playing days being over he was able to commit to this new career. He even came close to landing the role of a lifetime in the movie Terminator which eventually went to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The most famous roles he accumulated were as a pitchman in a variety of commercials. Most known is his pitch for Hertz. The Naked Gun series of movies at the close of the 80s gave O. J. Simpson his best visibility in a major motion picture. Everything was going well for the California native as he had successfully found a niche that worked for him and was now considered a star in both the sports world and the entertainment world. By 1984 Simpson was proclaimed the most popular sports celebrity endorser.
The personal life of the superstar was far from as glamorous and was kept private as much as possible. Through two weddings and subsequent divorces, he fathered five total children. Both ex-wives had similar stories of intimidation and spousal abuse to which he pleaded no contest in 1989. Nicole Brown finalized her divorce from O. J. through “Irreconcilable Differences” in 1992. Despite this, there was an attempt to reconcile by the couple just a year later. This did not continue as shortly thereafter it was known that they had separated again.
On July 12, 1994, Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found brutally slain. Simpson was named as the primary suspect for this act. Five days later the world really became aware of the circumstances of their death as Simpson led the Los Angeles Police Department on a slow chase in a White Bronco driven by former teammate and long-time friend Al Cowlings. This led to “The Trial of the Century” which captivated America.
Despite the Not Guilty verdict, his persona in pop culture was filled with negative events that even landed him in jail at one time. O. J. Simpson had a complex life that helped shape a large part of American pop culture, from being the face of the rapidly expanding National Football League to acting and commentating on television and in films, to being almost solely known for a heinous act that he had been acquitted of. One of the undervalued portions of his involvement in that trial is how it became the catalyst for – twenty-four-hour coverage of court cases and channels, the reality television genre as the public spent more time talking about real individuals instead of scripted characters, and O.J. an empire that became the Kardashians due to Simpson’s lawyer, Robert Kardashian, who was married to Kris Jenner was able to parlay her recognition to a family that is now worth more than 1.5 Billion dollars.
Now that his story is over, hopefully, we can pass down the entire story and not just the verdict given by Judge Lance Ito.