The life story of this high-class athlete in the past resembles an action-packed novel. Literally overnight, a man inducted into the NFL Team of the Decade and the Pro Football Hall of Fame went from the idol of generations of American schoolchildren to a criminal whose criminal case was followed by almost everyone. Today the legend turned 76 years old.
Oriental James (OJ) Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco into an unathletic family. Dad was a chef in various cafes and restaurants, mom worked as an administrator in a hospital. O. Jay became directly involved in football at Galileo High School as a defenseman. At the same time, Simpson, like many kids from his city’s underprivileged neighborhoods, was a member of local street gangs and was under constant scrutiny by social services. After the third arrest, one of the greatest baseball players in history, Willie Mays, arrived at the prison, where the future athlete briefly landed. It was this meeting that became decisive for Simpson’s subsequent career in professional sports.
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After high school, Simpson entered college to attend the University of Southern California where he was able to continue his football career. At his alma mater, O. Jay set team records for rushing yards in 1968 with 1,709 rushing yards, for which he was awarded the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award (awarded to the best player in football according to journalists). At the same time, he stuck with the nickname OJ, thanks to his initials OJ, which many associated with jugo de naranja (orange juice).
In his 20-year football career, OJ was a six-time NFL All-Star and a five-time league All-Star team (1972-1976). Simpson also led the championship four times in rushing yards, twice in rushing touchdowns, and once in points (in 1975). In 1973, he became the first NFL player and the only player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, earning him the NFL MVP award, and he is the only player to do so in just 14 games. But that is not all. It’s O. Jay who holds the record for average yardage per game in a season: 143.1.
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Simpson’s last NFL game took place on December 16, 1979, as part of the San Francisco Club. After the end of OJ’s career. he found recognition for him in the film industry. In 1969, he began acting in series. Already an NFL star, the athlete played roles in low-budget TV shows and movies. In 1979, the artist founded his own film company, Orenthal Productions, which was primarily engaged in the production of television films.
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Well, then there was a thunderclap, which rolled back the entire world image of an outstanding athlete. The recent fan idol was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her lover, young waiter Ronald Goldman, on June 12, 1994. The court case was hailed by tabloids as the “trial of the century.” because of the defendant’s personality.
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The double murder was committed at the Simpsons’ former home. The day before, OJ along with Nicole was at a school event where his eight-year-old daughter performed. That same night, Nicole had dinner at a restaurant. She, according to investigators, forgot her glasses there, and her friend, waiter Ronald Goldman, took them to her house. It is assumed that they had a connection. Some time later, the unfortunates were stabbed to death with a professional German-made knife.
In 1995, Simpson was acquitted. Lawyers helped him avoid the death penalty: Robert Kardashian (father of celebrity Kim Kardashian) and Johnny Cochran.
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In 2007, OJ published the book “If I Did It”, an instant bestseller, in which the great athlete presents a “hypothetical” description of the murder of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman. After the publication’s release, Simpson lost a civil lawsuit on the same charges, despite the fact that he had been previously acquitted of the criminal charges. In accordance with US law, the judiciary ordered him to pay a multimillion-dollar fine to the relatives of those killed.
Watching Simpson’s ups and downs, it can be summed up that this man knew everything in his life. Having started his childhood in street gangs, he, thanks to his physicality and his natural gift, made a breakneck career in sports, acting in movies along the way. He opened a large movie studio, which shot several well-known movies. And then he was charged with double murder, escaped death row, and even wrote a popular book about it. It turns out that everything the former athlete touched turned to gold. Even if it is a banal crime.
