Julian Edelman's podcast co-host questions O.J. Simpson's final video before his death: "OJ lied?"
Pro Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson passed away on Wednesday, April 10, after his battle with cancer. Using Simpson’s account on X (formerly Twitter), his family confirmed his passing.
Before that tweet, Simpson’s last post was on February 11 from Las Vegas. While donning a San Francisco 49ers jersey to support his hometown team, he said:
“Let me take a moment to say thank you to all the people who reached out to me. My health is good. I mean, obviously, I’m dealing with some issues but, hey, I think I’m just about over it now, back on that golf course hopefully in a couple of weeks.”
As The New York Post’s Ronny Reyes wrote on April 11, that video by Simpson came out two days after it was revealed he was undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer.
However, comedian Sam Morril, former co-host of Julian Edelman’s “Games with Names” podcast, quoted the video post and asked:
“OJ lied?”
Morril’s words have weight, considering Simpson passed away at 76 two months after that video.
While O.J. Simpson was an accomplished football player, his legal troubles are what people often remember about him. The most notable case was his trial for the double murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Before the trial, Simpson was the subject of a highly publicized low-speed pursuit while he was riding as a passenger in a white Ford Bronco SUV owned by his friend, Al Cowlings.
The trial for the criminal case spanned almost a year, from November 1994 to October 1995, with Simpson getting acquitted for both instances. Three years later, the victim’s families filed a civil suit against him, and he was found liable for the deaths. The court ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages but did not wholly give the total amount.
Aside from that case, the state of California revealed in 2007 that Simpson owed $1.44 million in back taxes. He was also arrested for battery and burglary in 2001 and was suspected of being involved in a major drug trafficking ring.
O.J. Simpson was also part of a group that took away sports memorabilia stored at the Palace Station hotel-casino in Las Vegas. He faced a life sentence on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping. Simpson served prison time starting in 2010 but was released in 2017. He earned an early release from his parole in 2021.
Before the legal mishaps, O.J. Simpson was a football legend
Simpson was a five-time First Team All-Pro member and Pro Bowler in 11 NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills and the 49ers. He was the 1973 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 2,003 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games. His 143.1 yards per game for that season remains an NFL record.
O.J. Simpson finished his football career with 2,404 carries for 11,236 yards and 61 touchdowns. He also had 2,142 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Simpson had his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 1985.