Former NFL star OJ Simpson died Wednesday at the age of 76 after a battle with prostate cancer, his family announced. Off the field, Simpson was charged with and acquitted of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
He was arrested in 1994—following one of the most famous police chases in US history—for allegedly killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The subsequent trial, dubbed "the trial of the century," ended in his acquittal but sparked debates on race, domestic abuse, celebrity privilege, and more. He was later found liable for their deaths in a civil trial and separately spent nine years in prison for unrelated armed robbery and kidnapping charges.
A Heisman Trophy winner, Simpson was the first NFL running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season in 1973 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He switched to acting and went on to appear in multiple films, including three “Naked Gun” movies.
See New York Times original coverage of the trial here.
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