Who was OJ Simpson, American football icon and remembered for his judicial controversy?

The death of OJ Simpson leaves a shared memory among his outstanding career in American footballwhich led him to the Hall of Fame and his participation in the controversial trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and his friend Ron Goldman, of whom He was acquitted in 1995.

The former running back for the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers, born in California in 1947, He died this Wednesday, April 11, 2024, a victim of cancer at the age of 76.

In October 1995, in Los Angeles, Orenthal James Simpson was declared ‘not guilty’ of double murder charges against ex-wife Nicole Brown and friend Ronald Goldmanat the end of a trial that kept the nation in suspense.

The media significance of the trial even led the then president of the United States, Bill Clinton, to ask for “respect” for the jury’s verdict that declared the player innocent in October 1995: “The jury has considered the evidence and rendered its verdict. Our judicial system requires respect for its decision.”

On a sporting level, OJ Simpson is Considered one of the best players in NFL history. His sports career began to shine at the University of Southern California, with which He won the Heisman Trophy for the best college football player in the United States.

This is how he came to the NFL, selected in first place in the first round of the 1969 Draft by the Bills, a team in which he remained until 1977. He retired with the 49ers, a franchise with which He played the 1978 and 1979 seasons, accumulating 11,236 rushing yards and 61 touchdowns, six seasons in a row with more than 1,000 yards.

Statistics and feats that made him an American idol. Most valuable Player of the season and best offensive player in 1973, five Pro Bowl selections, four-time NFL rushing leader, two-time leading rusher touchdowns. Enough records to open the door to the Hall of Fame in 1985. The light of the spotlight at its peak.

After a conflictive separation from his wife Nicole, OJ Simpson’s life took a turn on June 13, 1994. when the bodies of her and her friend Ron Goldman, both stabbed, were found.

Four days later, the former runner starred in a scene that had a global impact when, aboard his white Ford Bronco truck, he was chased at low speed by the Los Angeles Police. in a sequence that was followed through the news by thousands of people.

In the end, OJ Simpson, born in San Francisco, California, on July 9, 1947, was arrested, prosecuted and tried. In what was called The trial of the centurythe former player He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted on October 3, 1995 in a televised trial.

The downward spiral extended into the 21st century. On October 3, 2008, OJ Simpson returned to court charged with 12 felonies, kidnapping and armed robbery. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, but after nine years in a Nevada prison, he was paroled in 2017.

NFL legend OJ Simpson’s path led him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohiowhere his bust remains. It is It was stolen on July 23, 1995 and recovered the next day. Just like OJ’s life, a powerful light in the field that after his retirement was swallowed into deep darkness.