Former American football player OJ Simpson has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 76 years old.
Born Orenthal James Simpson , he is considered one of the greatest players in the history of football, so much so that he was included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame : as a professional he played for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and with the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979.
“The Juice”, as he was known in the golden years when he wore the jersey of the San Francisco 49ers, was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. The trial had gone on for months and had divided America, also triggering a furious debate on the racial question.
Simpson was eventually cleared due to lack of evidence. In 2008 he was sentenced to 33 years in prison (of which nine without parole) for armed robbery and kidnapping; he was released in October 2017 and was on probation.
Once his sporting career was over, he also had a stint dedicated to cinema with the role of Agent Nordberg in the series "The Naked Gun".
(Unioneonline/D)