Former NFL player, movie star, and accused double-murdererO.J. Simpsonis back in the news once again, this time for posting some bizarre videos on his new Twitter account. “Coming soon to Twitter, you’ll be able to read my thoughts and opinions on just about everything,” Simpson remarks in his first video. Simpson then eerily adds, “This should be a lot of fun, I’ve got a lot of getting even to do.” Given Simpson’s criminal background and involvement in the “Trial of the Century” in 1994, that particular phrasing is leaving a lot of people very nervous.
In a second video posted on Saturday, Simpson takes a bit of a more light-hearted approach in talking to his followers. “For years, people have been able to say whatever they want to say about me, with no accountability” Simpson says, noting he now gets to “challenge all of that B.S. and set the record straight.” Does this mean the disgraced celebrity will publicly open up about his side of theinfamous double-homicide he was charged with? Simpson doesn’t clarify, but does mention he’ll also be using Twitter to talk about politics, sports, and fantasy football. The second video ends with Simpson wishing a happy father’s day to all of his “fellow fathers” out there.
Before 1994, Simpson was one of the world’s most beloved celebrities. He first rose to great fame as a running back for the Buffalo Bills, setting many new records and spending 11 years in the NFL. Concurrently, he found great success as an actor, having appeared in many movie and TV roles in the years leading up to the infamous incident. Perhaps most famously, Simpson portrayed the clumsy Detective Nordberg in the Leslie Nielsen comedyThe Naked Gunand its two sequels. As an actor, Simpson’s final performance was for a starring role in a planned Warner Bros. TV series calledFrogmen, which was never aired in light of Simpson’s criminal trial. While Simpson was ultimately acquitted of the crimes, the damage to his name was enough to keep him out of Hollywood ever since.
While Simpson himself isno longer acting professionally, his story has still served for creative inspiration elsewhere. On FX, the mini-seriesThe People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Storyrevolved around thenotorious murder case with Cuba Gooding Jr.portraying Simpson. Some of the other cast members included Courney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, and David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. The series was critically-acclaimed and highly successful, earning 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and winning nine. It’s not clear if Simpson himself has seen the program following his release.
If Simpson’s real goal here is toget people talking about him again, then he has certainly managed that. It’s hard to say if his poor choice of words were spoken intentionally in regard to his background, or if he’s just digging himself deeper trying to somehow clear his name. In any case, it would seem that the strange posts online are likely to continue. you’re able to take a look at the videos below, which come fromO.J. Simpson on Twitter.
