O.J. Simpson, whose life as an American sports hero quickly turned when he was charged with the 1994 murder of his wife and her friend, died on Wednesday at the age of 76, his family announced on 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,” the family posted on Simpson’s X account.
Simpson’s attorney also confirmed his death Thursday to TMZ.
Simpson ultimately was acquitted of stabbing to death Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles in one of the most sensational trials of the 20th century. But his life was forever changed; he went from a sports idol to a celebrity-in-exile before being sentenced to 33 years in prison for a bungled 2007 Las Vegas hotel robbery.
On the football field, Simpson was one of the game’s all-time great running backs.
He became USC’s second Heisman Trophy winner in 1968, earning the most first-place votes (855) in the award’s history. That season, he established a then-NCAA single-season rushing record with 1,709 yards as he guided the Trojans to a Rose Bowl appearance, where they lost to top-ranked Ohio State despite Simpson’s 171 yards and 80-yard TD.
In his two seasons at USC, Simpson was twice a unanimous All-American and equaled or bettered 19 NCAA, conference and school records.
In 1969, the Buffalo Bills made Simpson the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. “Juice” went on to make five First Team All-Pro squads and six Pro Bowls. He was named MVP in 1973, when he became the first to rush for 2,000 yards in a season (doing it in 14 games) while averaging 141.3 yards per game, still an NFL record.
Simpson spent nine years with the Buffalo Bills before wrapping up his career with two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Simpson stayed in the spotlight after retirement, working as a commentator for “Monday Night Football” and continuing his acting career, notably in “The Naked Gun” trilogy.
But, in 1994, his life changed forever.
On June 12, the bodies of Brown Simpson and Goldman were found outside her condo in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Simpson was a person of interest in the murders, but rather than turn himself in five days later, he led police on a low-speed chase throughout Los Angeles as a passenger in a white Ford Bronco driven by former NFL player Al Cowlings. An estimated television audience of 95 million watched the drama unfold, with live coverage preempting regular programming, including the NBA Finals.
Simpson eventually surrendered to police at his Brentwood home that night.
His criminal trial began in January 1995 and was labeled “The Trial of the Century.” It featured lead prosecutor Marcia Clark against a “legal dream team” for Simpson led by Johnnie Cochran, who famously pleaded to the jury during closing arguments, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” a reference to a glove matching one found at the scene of the murders. On Oct. 3, the jury found Simpson not guilty of either murder.
Simpson’s legal woes, however, were hardly over.
In 1997, the Goldman family filed a civil lawsuit against Simpson, and the jury found him liable for $33.5 million. To help settle court costs, Simpson auctioned off his own copy of the 1968 Heisman for $230,000, plus commission.
Simpson eventually moved from his native California to Florida, and aside from several run-ins with the law, he largely stayed out of the public spotlight.
But 13 years after his double-murder trial resulted in a not-guilty verdict, Simpson went to trial again, this time in Las Vegas after he and another man, Clarence Stewart, robbed two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint after breaking into their hotel room. Simpson told police that the memorabilia had been stolen from him and he was just trying to reclaim it. But he was convicted of 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Subsequent attempts to appeal and request a new trial were denied. Simpson served his sentence at Lovelock (Nevada) Correctional Center. He was released on parole in October 2017, and was deemed “a completely free man” after being discharged from parole in 2021.
While on parole, in 2019, Simpson sued The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas that banned him two years earlier, alleging he had been defamed when employees said he had been drunk, disruptive and unruly. The two sides reached an out-of-court settlement for terms that were not disclosed.
Simpson remained in the Las Vegas area after his release and stayed in the public eye, even joining Twitter. But he said that 1994 night is one that neither he nor his family will ever revisit.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” Simpson told The Associated Press in 2019. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Infielder Ha-Seong Kim and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year, $29 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources told ESPN, adding a Gold Glove winner to a Rays team that places significant emphasis on defense.
Kim, 29, who is expected to return from shoulder surgery in May, likely will start at shortstop but also has played second and third base, with his Gold Glove coming in a utility role.
The deal, which will pay Kim $13 million this season, is the most Tampa Bay has guaranteed in free agency for a position player since signing outfielder Greg Vaughn for four years and $34 million in 1999.
Before the partial tear of his right labrum required surgery, Kim was expected to land a free agent deal in the nine-figure range. With his opt-out, he can join a free agent class next year that’s thin on infielders, with shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman Luis Arraez the only players of Kim’s caliber.
He arrived from Korea in 2021, signing with the San Diego Padres as a bat-first middle infielder. While the power Kim displayed in Korea didn’t show up as frequently as it did with the Kiwoom Heroes, his glove was a revelation, and in four seasons with the Padres, he posted double-digit wins above replacement despite never slugging above .400.
Tampa Bay enters the 2025 season with playoff aspirations but had been relatively quiet over the winter, signing catcher Danny Jansen and trading left-hander Jeffrey Springs to Oakland. The Rays used Jose Caballero and Taylor Walls at shortstop last season and are expected to do the same this year before the return of Kim.
Shortstop Wander Franco, who was expected to be the Rays’ long-term solution at the position after signing an 11-year deal, remains on the restricted list while facing charges in the Dominican Republic of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.
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New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner weighed in on the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ offseason spending spree, saying it will be even more “difficult” to keep up with the reigning World Series champions.
The Dodgers have spent more than $450 million guaranteed this offseason, pushing their 2025 luxury tax payroll to approximately $390 million.
With the penalties for exceeding the $241 million threshold, the Dodgers’ total payroll for this year likely will be in excess of $500 million.
“It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they’re doing,” Steinbrenner said during an interview with the YES Network that aired Tuesday. “We’ll see if it pays off.”
Despite losing superstar Juan Soto as a free agent to the crosstown rival Mets, the Yankees also have had an active offseason, headlined by Max Fried‘s eight-year, $218 million deal.
The Yankees currently have Major League Baseball’s third-highest luxury tax payroll at just under $303 million. The Phillies are second at just under $308 million, more than $80 million behind the Dodgers.
The Yankees were listed in March 2024 by Forbes as MLB’s most valuable franchise, worth an estimated $7.55 billion, while the Dodgers were the second-most valuable at approximately $5.45 billion.
Steinbrenner, whose Yankees lost to the Dodgers in last season’s World Series, added Tuesday that Los Angeles’ busy offseason does not guarantee another championship.
“They still have to have a season that’s relatively injury-free for it to work out for them,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s a long season as you know, and once you get to the postseason, anything can happen. We’ve seen that time and time again. We’ll see who’s there at the end.”
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