O.J. Simpson has been cremated, and his family declined requests from researchers to conduct a postmortem examination of his brain. Thus, we will never know whether he suffered from the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
O.J. Simpson Displayed CTE Symptoms
CTE is a progressive, degenerative disease that afflicts individuals who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries. It occurs in athletes who have endured concussions and repetitive head impacts.
According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE “causes the death of nerve cells in the brain[.]” It is a condition which “gets worse over time.”
Symptoms include “trouble with thinking and emotions, physical problems, and other behaviors.” Researchers believe the condition develops “years to decades after head trauma occurs.” “Violent behavior” is another known symptom.
Hospice??? pic.twitter.com/OXLzs9jWO6
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) February 9, 2024
Simpson exhibited symptoms of this type when he was in prison in Nevada from 2008 to 2017. Per the New York Post:
“O.J. Simpson would wake up in his Nevada prison cell wondering where he was — a possible sign of brain damage, a retired guard recalled.
“‘He’d wake up in the morning wondering what [his] tee time was for golf, and he’s in a prison,’ Jeffrey Felix, who worked at Lovelock Correctional Facility during Simpson’s nine-year stint there, told The Post.
“He theorized the former running back great suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a concussion-related brain disease that plagues many retired NFL players.
“Simpson was ‘very forgetful,’ Felix said, adding that Juice often spaced on taking his medication and dinner time in the clink, and regularly suffered from headaches.”
During an interview in 2018, Simpson himself expressed concern that he was afflicted with the condition. He noted that he had suffered multiple concussions during his football career.
Doctors have expressed the belief that Simpson was afflicted with CTE. Among them is Bennet Omalu, M.D., “the world-renowned forensic pathologist who first identified the disease in football players.” In an interview with ABC News, Dr. Omalu said, “I would bet my medical license on it.”
Researchers Wanted to Conduct a Postmortem Examination of Simpson’s Brain
Simpson’s long-time attorney, Malcolm P. LaVergne, said researchers made requests to conduct postmortem testing on Simpson’s brain. He said he received “calls from medical centers that are doing CTE testing asking … for OJ’s brain.”
O.J. Simpson will reportedly be cremated and his brain won’t be donated for CTE research pic.twitter.com/bp79rIJSBr
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) April 16, 2024
Eschewing the Requests of Researchers, Simpson’s Children Had Their Father Cremated
Notwithstanding the evidence that examination of Simpson’s brain could have revealed, Simpson’s family gave a “hard no” to the requests from scientific researchers. The decision was reportedly made by “Simpson’s four children — the youngest two of whom, Sydney and Justin, were born from Nicole Brown Simpson, the … athlete’s late wife[,] whom he was acquitted of killing alongside her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.”
OJ Simpson to be cremated, brain won’t be donated for CTE research, lawyer says https://t.co/cyE51LQCEI pic.twitter.com/eTqEyHYGl7
— New York Post (@nypost) April 13, 2024
Could CTE Have Contributed to the Killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?
Simpson was beloved before the 1994 killings of his former wife (Nicole Brown Simpson) and her friend (Ron Goldman). Many did not believe the man they knew was capable of such a violent, horrendous act. And, they now believe evidence of CTE might explain what caused him to snap, assuming he committed the double homicide.
Buffalo businessman Michael R. Militello, who was one of Simpson’s closest friends, said in an interview after Simpson’s death:
“If it turned out he did have CTE, that would give us some medical explanation for the violent behavior that was attributed to him after his football career. That is violent behavior that made absolutely no sense to those of us who knew and loved O.J. as a gentle, kind, fun-loving person.”
Militello had hoped that Simpson’s children would allow for the brain examination.
The families of other late football stars granted consent to postmortem brain examinations to determine whether CTE was present. Included among those families are the families of Hall of Fame players Frank Gifford, Mike Webster, and Ken Stabler.
In 2023, the Boston University CTE Center announced that it had diagnosed CTE in 345 former NFL players out of 376 players its scientists had been asked to examine. Thus, the condition is present in 92 percent of former NFL players who were analyzed.
Given these statistics, it is likely that Simpson was afflicted with the condition. However, we will never know for certain.
For more sports-related news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.
Sarah Wexler
It’s really just his family’s business